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■i   MAR   1    1898  ^ 

^      — -         <^y 


Division. ji^.^..\     I  O 
Section.i^.vVj  ~^    I 


Zf>t  (gooft  of  ^eaiaf) 

CHEYNE 


Copyright^  1897,  by  Paul  Hattpt 


^  r 


THE  SACRED  BOOKS 

OF   THE 

A    NEW    ENGLISH    TRANSLATION 

With   Explanatory   Notes  and  Pictorial   Illustrations 


PREPART-D    BY 

cmtncnf  (giBftcaf  ecBofavB  of  (Europe  anb  of  Jl»ncrtca 

AND      EDITED      WITH      THE      ASSISTANCE      OF 

HORACE  HOWARD  FURNESS 

BY 

(pauf  %a\xpt 


PROFESSOR  IN  THE  JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 
BALTIMORE 

@ 

PART   lO 

36at<\B 

TRANSLATED    PY 

T • K ■ CHEYNE 


noDD.   MF.AD.   AND  COMPANY 
1898 

JAMES  CLARKE  AM)  COMPANY  DEUTSCHF.  VKRLACiS-ANSTALT 


THE  BOOK 


OF 


A  NEW  ENGLISH  TRANSLATION 

PRINTED  IN  COLORS  EXHIBITING  THE  COMPOSITE  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  BOOK 

(Vd\tt>  grpfanaforp  (\\otiB 
AND    PICTORIAL    ILLUSTRATIONS 


BY 


The    Rev    T  •  K  •  CHEYNE,   M.A.,  D.D. 

ORIEL    PROFESSOR    OP   THE    INTERPRETATION    OF   HOLY    SCRIPTURE    AT    OXFORD 

AND   FORMERLY   FELLOW   OF   BALLIOL   COLLEGE 

CANON    OF    KOCHESIER 


nODD.  MEAD.   AND  COMPANY 

1808 

JAMES  CLARKE  AND  COMPANY  DEUTSCHE  VERLAGS-AN^TALT 


Copgriggt 
iSq; 

BV 

PAUL  HAUPT 


2;§c  JVicftenroafj  Company 

BALTIMORE.   MD.,    U.  S.  A. 


POLYCHROMV    TATENTED    FEB.    I  (),    1 897 

L".   S.   PATENT     No.  ^77,253 

D.R. CM., No.  28, 784 


3n^robucfor^  (Rtmat^B 


t^5^  HE  present  rendering   of  the  Old  Testament   is   not   a   revision   of 
'^""^  the  Authorized  Version,  but  a  New  Translation  from  the  Hebrew, 
in  modern  English.     Tlie   aim    has   been  to   render   the   sense   of 
the  original  as  faithfully  as   possible   rather   than  to   sacrifice  that  5 
sense  in  order  to  give  a  literal  translation. 

This  new  Translation  appeals  to  all  interested  in  the  Bible. 
The  Explanatory  Notes  are  free  from  technical  details  wliich 
have  no  interest  for  the  average  reader.  We  had  no  desire  (as 
the  translators  of  the  Authorized  Version  say  in  their  Preface)  lo 
io  zucary  the  unlearned,  who  need  not  know  so  much;  and  trouble  the  learned, 
who  know  it  already.  The  reader  may  rest  assured,  however,  that  all  variations 
from  the  Authorized  Version  in  the  present  Translation  are  the  results  of  the 
ripest  Biblical  scholarship  of  the  present  generation  both  in  Europe  and  in 
America.  The  translation  is  based  throughout  on  the  new  critical  edition  of  the  15 
Hebrew  text  of  the  Old  Testament,  published  under  the  auspices  of  the  Johns 
Hopkins  University,   Baltimore. 

Departures  from  the  Received  Text  are  indicated  by  special  marks,  whereby 
the  reader  can  see  at  a  glance  whether  a  variation  is  based  on  parallel  passages, 
or  on  the  authority  of  the  Ancient  Versions,  or  is  merely  a  conjectural  emenda-  20 
tion,  &c.  These  critical  marks  are,  designedly,  so  unobtrusive  as  not  to  inter- 
fere with  the  comfort  of  the  ordinary  reader ;  they  are  mainly  intended  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  are  interested  in  the  details  of  textual  criticism. 


Crpfanotton  of  Crittcaf  (jTlarfta. 

(i)  «  >  {i.  e.  \  =  Versions)    indicate  a    reading   adopted   on   the    authority   of  25 
the  Ancient  Versions  (Septuagint,   Targums,  Peshita,    Vulgate,  &c.,  in   reference 
to   which    the   reader   may   consult  the  Preface  to   the   Authorized   Version,  also 
the  List  of  Abbreviations  below,  p.  ix,  under  LXX,   Pesh.,  Targ.,  Vulg. ). 

(2)  ■  ■   (i.e.  c  =  conjecture)  indicate  Conjectural  Emendations. 

(3)  ■  ■   (i.  e.  'i,    the   first   letter   of  the   Hebrew   word    Tipj    niqqud   'punctua-  30 
tion')  indicate   changes   involving   merely  a  different  division  of  the  consonantal 
text,  or  a  departure   from  the  vowel-points  which  the  so-called  Masorites  added 

to  the  original  consonantal  text  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  centuries  A.  d. 

(4)  »  "  (i.  e.  Q  =  Qt're)  indicate  that  the  marginal  reading  (Heb.  QSre  'what 

is  to  be  read  ' )  has  been  adopted  instead  of"  the  Ktth'ib  '  what  is  written. '  35 


(5)  •  ■  indicate  changes  introduced  by  reason  of  Parallel  Passages. 

(6)  t  1  indicate  Doubtful  Words  or  Passages. 

(7)  •  •  indicate  deviations  from  the  Received  (or  Masoretic)  Text,  suggested 
by  the  Versions  as  well  as  by  Parallel  Passages. 

5  (8)  <  >  indicate    departures   from    the   Masoretic    reading   of  the   consonantal 

text,  whicii  are  supported  by  the  Ancient  Versions. 

(9)  In    cases    where    critical    marks     occur    without    any    letters    or    words 
between   them   (-•,  <>,   &c. ),   Omissions  are  indicated,  based  on  the  Versions  or 
on  Conjectural  Emendations,  &c. 
10  (10)  •♦  indicate  words  implied,  but   not  expressed,  in  the    Hebrew.     These 

marks,  therefore,  take  the  place  of  i/a/ics  in  the  Authorized  Version. 

(11)  [  ]  indicate  Transposed  Passages,  the  traditional  position  of  the  words 
in  the  Received  Text  being  marked  by  [],  while  the  transposed  words  ;ire 
enclosed  in  [  ] ;  see  e.  g.  Ps.  35 ,  7. 

15  (12)   I   indicates  transposition  of  the  Masoretic  ":"  which  marks  the  end  of 

a  verse  in  the  Hebrew  Text. 

(13) indicate  Corrupt  and  Unintelligible  Passages. 

(14)  *****  indicate  Lacuna;  in  the  Hebrew  Text. 

fitpfanatton  of  Coforo. 

20  Older   incorporated  documents  or  later  sections  in  Biblical  Books  of  a  com- 

posite character  are  printed  on  backgrounds  of  diflferent  colors.  The  explana- 
tion of  the  colors  employed  in  the  Books  of  Isaiah  and  of  Judges  is  given  on 
p.  132  of  the  Notes  on  Isaiah  and  on  p.  46  of  the  Notes  on  Judges,  respectively. 

;§'ootnot«6. 

25  Words   or   passages   printed    as   notes    at   the   bottom   of   the   pages    of   the 

translation  represent  subsequent  additions  to  the  original  text ;  cf.  Notes  on 
Judges,  p.  47,  11.  5  fl". ;   Notes  on  Isaiah,  p.  209,  11.  33  ff. 

(TRarginaf  J'igurce. 

In  the  Explanatory  Notes  the  figures  in  the  margin  on  the  right  refer  to 
30  the  chapters  and  verses  commented  on  ;  the  figures  in  the  margin  on  the  left 
merely  number  the  lines.  On  those  pages,  however,  where  there  are  no 
references  to  chapters  and  verses  in  the  margin  the  line-numbers  are  placed  in 
the  outer  margin.  In  the  Translati'on  the  lines  are  always  numbered  in  the 
inner  margin,  while  the  traditional  numbers  of  the  chapters  and  verses  are 
35  placed  in  the  outer  margin. 

%t.Oi'0'^-\cMX>  (Jlutncrafa. 

Heavy-faced  numerals  are  used  instead  of  Roman  letters  to  distinguish  the 
number  of  the  chapter  from  the  number  of  the  verse;  <*.  ^.  Ps.  88 ,  8  =  P.salm 
Ixxxviii,  verse  8;  but  Pss.  88 .  89  =  Ps.ilin  Ixxxviii  and  Psalm  Ixxxix. 

40  (^cf£r«ncca  to  (§t6ficaP  (paeeagce. 

References  to  Biblical  passages  follow,  throughout,  the  Authorized  X'ersion, 

not   the  Hebrew  Text.     It    is   well  known    that   the  division   of  the    chapters    is 

occasionally  not  the  same  in  the    Hebrew   and   in    the  English    Bibles ;  and  that 

the   title  of   a    Psalm,    where    it    consists    of   more    than  two  words,  is   usually 

45  reckoned  in  Hebrew  as  the  first  verse. 


— »4«#ffi»-  3"'rc6ucforg  (R<;marRe  -^BS^s^-s —  vii 

(Untranefatcft  l^cBrcit  (SOorbs. 

A  few  Hebrew  words  have  been  left  untranslated,  viz.  l>c>i,  the  Hebrew 
word  for  son  (e.  g.  Isaiah  hen- Amo::  —  Isaiah,  the  son  of  Amoz);  Shedl  (Heb. 
sht'ol),  the  abode  of  departed  spirits,  the  habitation  of  the  dead  (Greek  Hades); 
Asherdh,  the  sacred  post  or  pole,  the  wooden  symbol  of  a  goddess,  beside  an  5 
altar  -(see  Notes  on  Judges,  p.  57,  1.  32  ;  p.  69,  1.  22)  ;  Negeb,  the  steppe-like 
region  in  the  South  of  Palestine  (see  Notes  on  Judges,  p.  49,  1.  8) ;  Arabah, 
the  great  geologic  depression  extending  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the  eastern 
gulf  of  the  Red  Sea  (see  Notes  on  Judges,  p.  64,  1.  39;  cf.  Notes  on  Isaiah, 
p.  159,  1.  14) ;  Selah  at  the  end  of  certain  stanzas  in  the  Psalms  (see  Notes  on  10 
the  Psalms,  p.  165,  1.8);  Satan,  in  Wuhxnwi  =  adversary,  accuser  (see  Notes  on 
Ps.  109,6);  Hallelujah  ( Ps.  104,35  &c. )  =  Praise  ye  Jah  (a  shorter  form  of 
Jhvh)  ;  Sabaoth  (</.Jas.  5,4;  Rom.  9 ,  29  =  Is.  1,9)  in  the  vasan  Jrivil  Sabaoth, 
Jhvh  of  the  Hosts,  /.  e.  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel  (r  Sam.  17,45;  cf.  Pss. 
44,9;  60,10=108,11).     For  Jhvh,  see  below,   List  of  Abbreviations,  p.  viii.       15 

S^tanefttcratton  of  Orunfaf  (Jlamca. 

All  Biblical  names  are  given  in  the  form  used  in  the  Authorized  Version. 
In  the  transliteration  of  other  Hebrew  words,  or  of  modern  Oriental  (Arabic) 
names,  the  vowels  have  their  Italian  sounds:  a  is  like  the  a  m  far  or  father ; 
f  is  the  i  in  marine ;  and  ?J  =  00  in  cool ;  e  =  a  in  natne ;  short  ?  =  /  in  />in  ;  20 
&c.  (e.  g.  Tel-Abu-Oiides=  Tel-Aboo-Koodace).  As  to  the  consonants,  j  and  jc 
are  pronounced  as  in  English  ;  q  has  about  the  same  sound  as  English  c  in  cool 
(not  as  k  in  keel,  or  q:t  in  queen) ;  '  is  the  Arabic  Ain,  the  voiced  form  of  the 
Arabic  h  which  may  be  described  as  a  stronger  variety  of  our  h ;  kh  is  the 
guttural  ch  in  German  or  Scotch  loch  ( Spanish  .1-  or  7  ) ;  f  is  a  modification  of  25 
our  5  (with  an  inner  rounding)  which  affects  the  pronunciation  of  the  following 
vowels  (e.  g.  (;in,  not  ^ seen,  but  more  like  sane;  fd^saw,  &c. ).  In  the 
majority  of  English  books  of  a  popular  character  the  letters  k  and  s  are  used 
for  q  and  f,  respectively  (e.  g.  el-Aksa  for  el-Aq(d;  see  Psalms,  p.  235,  I.41). 

^pcfftng. 

English  readers  who  object  to  the  'American'  spelling,  honor,  &c.,  may  be 
referred  to  Henry  Sweet's  Nezu  English  Grammar  (0.\ford,  Clarendon  Press, 
1892),  p.  xi  and  ?  1710,  &c.,  or  to  Dr.  Murray's  remarks  on  the  spelling  of  a.r 
in  the  A^ew  English  Dictionary  on  Historical  Principles  (Oxford,  Clarendon 
Press).  35 

JlBBrcoiafiona. 

The  following  List  includes  a  large  number  of  abbreviations  which  would 
not  require  explanation  if  the  present  Translation  were  for  the  exclusive  use  of 
American  or  English  readers. 

&c.  stands  for  And  others,  or,  and  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah   in   the  present  40 

soior\.\\(l.al.  et cceteri,  cirtero',  co'tera.  Translation,  &c. 
respectively).  ^,  or  3,  &c. ,  after  the  title  of  a  book 

I,  2,  3,  &c.,  before  the  name  of  a  (e.g.   Notes  on  Isaiah,  p.   157,  1.   19), 
Biblical  book,   stands  for  First   Book,  stands  for  second  or  third  editions,  re- 
Second  Book,  Third  Book,  &c.,  respec-  spectively. —  For  D^,  E^,  &c.,  see  D,  E,  45 
lively:    I    Kings   is  the   First   Book  of  &c. 

Kings;  2   Sam.  =  the  Second    Book   of  »  stands  for  first  part  (or  first  line) 

Samuel ;    3    Psalms  =  the  Third    Book  of  a   verse.      Subdivisions   of  parts   of 

of  Psalms.     4   Isaiah  =  the  fourth   part  verses    are    indicated    by    "  ^,    respec- 


►-Ms^es*-  3n'r<'J>"''t>rg  (RcmarRo  -*j*»fr-^*< — 


lively;  e.  g.  2,  14^"  (Judges,  p.  54, 
1.  36)  refers  to  the  second  clause  (") 
of  the  first  part  (a)  of  the  verse  [and 
delivered  Iheiit  lo  spoilers  who  despoiled 
5  them).  The  first  clause  of  the  second 
half  of  the  verse  {and  he  sold  them  into 
the  power  0/  their  enemies  on  all  sides) 
uinild  be  v.  I4'''. 

A.  i>.  =  In    the    year   of   our    Lord 
10  (Lat.  Anno  Domini). 

Am.  =  Amos. 

Ant.  =  Antiquities,     especially    the 

work  of  the  Jewish  historian  Josephus 

(i37-iooi  A.  D. )  on  Jewish  Antiquities. 

15  ARV  =  Authorized     and     Revised 

Versions. 

AV  =  Authorized  Version. 

AVM  =  Authorized   Version,    mar- 
gin. 
20  ij  =  Second   part   (or  second    line) 

of  a  verse  ;  see  =. 

Bar.  =  Baruch. 

B.  c.=  Before  Christ. 
Bibl.=  Biblical. 

25  <;=;  Third  part  (or  third  line)  of  a 

verse ;  see  '^. 

c,  or  C.=  Chapter, 
cc,  or  CC.  =  Chapters. 
r«.=  about  (Lat.  cirea). 
30  Cant.  =  Song    of  Solomon    {Canti- 

cles). 

cent.  =  Century. 

cf.,  or  Cf.=  Compare  (Lat.  confer). 
Chr.,  or  Chron,=  Chronicles. 
35  col.,  or  Col.=  Column. 

Col.=  Colossians. 
Cor.  =  Corinthians. 
d  =  Fourth  part  (or  fourth  line)  of 
a  verse  ;  see  '^. 
40  D  =  Deuteronomy,  or  the  author  of 

Deuteronomy ;   see   Notes   on  Judges, 

p.  46,  1-  15;  P-  53.  ••  to- 

D^  =  Deuteronomistic  editors. 

Dan.=  Daniel. 
45  Deut.=  Deuteronomy. 

E  =  East. 

E  =  Ephraimitic  Writer  ;  see  Notes 
on  Judges,   p.  46,  1.  24. 

E'^  =  Later    additions    to    E  ;    see 
50  Notes  on  Judges,  p.  46,  1.  40. 

Eccl.,  or  Eccles.=  Ecclesiastes. 

ed.=  Edition. 

e.  g.  =  For  example  ( Lat.  exempli 
gratid). 


ENE  =  East-North-East. 

Eph.=  Ephesians. 

esp.=  Especially. 

Esth.=  Esther. 

Ex.,  or  Exod.=  Exodus. 

Ez.,  or  Ezek.=  Ezekiel. 

f=and  the  following  verse  (or 
line,  or  page,  &c. ). 

fli".  =  and  the  following  verses  (or 
lines,  or  pages,  &c.). 

fig.,  or  Fig.=  Figure. 

Gal.=  Galatians. 

Gen.=  Genesis. 

H  =  The  Law  of  Holiness  (Lev. 
17-26)  -,  see  Notes  on  Leviticus,  p.  56. 

Hal).=  Habakkuk. 

Hag.,   or  Hagg.  =  Haggai. 

Heb.=  Hebrew,  or  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews. 

Her.  =  Herodotus. 

Honi.=  Homer. 

Hos.  =  Hosea. 

ib.,  or  ihid.=  \n  the  same  place 
(Lat.  ihidem). 

i.  (•.  =  That  is  (Lat.  id  est). 

//.=  Iliad. 

in.  =  inch,  or  inches. 

Inscr.  =  Inscription. 

Is.,  or  Isa.=  Isaiah. 

J  =  Judaic  Writer  ;  see  Notes  on 
Judges,  p.  46,  1.  23. 

Jas.  =  James. 

JE  =  The  Prophetic  Narrative  of 
the  Hexateuch,  composed  of  J  and  E  ; 
see  Notes  on  Judges,  p.  46,  II.  26.41  ; 

P-  53.  1-  ,35- 

Jer.  =  Jeremiah. 

jHVH  =  the  Hebrew  name  of  the 
Supreme  Being,  erroneously  written 
and  pronounced  Jehovah.  The  true 
pronunciation  seems  to  have  been  Yati- 
u<av  ;  see  Notes  on  the  Psalms,  p.  163, 
11.  36  if. 

Jon.=  lonah. 

Jos.,  or  Josh.  =  Joshua. 

K.=  Kings. 

I.  or  L.=  Line. 

II.  or  LL.=  Lines. 
Lam.=  Lamentations. 
Lat.=  Latin. 

Ib.=  Pound  (Lat.  libra). 
Ibs.=  Pounds. 

/.  r.  =  In  the  place  before  citetl 
(Lat.   loco  citato). 


— »*^«@Sc  3nfro6uc'org  (^cmarfta  -sj^fsw-^ — 


Lev.  =  Leviticus. 

lit.,  or  Lit.=  Literally. 

LXX  =  Septuagint,  the  ancient 
Greek  Version  of  OT,  made  in  Egypt 
by  Hellenistic  Jews  (3^-15'  cent.  B.C.), 

M  =  margin.      Cf.  AV,  RV. 

Mace.  =  Maccabees. 

Mal.=  Malachi. 

Matth.=  Matthew. 

Meg.  =  Megillah    (the    Heb.   word 
for  scroll,   volume). 

Mic.=  Micah. 

MS  =  Manuscript. 

MSS  =  Manuscripts. 

Mt.=  Mount,  or  Mountain. 

n.=  Note. 

nn.=  Notes. 

Nah.=  Nahum. 

NE  =  North-East. 

Neh.=  Nehemiah. 

NNE  =  North-North-East. 

no.,  or  No.  =  Number. 

nos.,  or  Nos.=  Numbers. 

NT  =  New  Testament. 

Num.  =  The  Book  of  Numbers. 

NW  =  North-West. 

Ob.,  or  Obad.  =  Obadiah. 

Od.,  or  0(/)'M.  =  Odyssey. 

op.  cit.=  In  the  work  before  cited 
(Lat.  opcre  citato). 

OT  =  Old  Testament. 

P  =  Priestly  Writer  ;  see  Notes  on 
Judges,  p.  92,  41  ;  cf.  Notes  on  Levit- 
icus, p.  56. 

p.,  or  P.=  Page. 

pp.,  or  PP.  =  Pages. 

Pesh.=  Peshita,  the  earliest  Syriac 
Version  of  the  Old  Testament. 


Pliil.=  Philippians. 

Prov.  =  Proverbs. 

Ps.=  Psalm. 

Pss.  =  Psalms. 

R  =  Redactor  or  editor.  5 

RJ^  =  Redactor  of  JE  ;  see  Notes 
on  Judges,  p.  46,  11.  26.45. 

Rev.=  Revelation. 

Rom.=  Romans. 

RV  =  Revised  Version.  10 

RVM  =  Revised  Version,  margin. 

S  =  South. 

S.,  or  Sam.  =  Samuel. 

SE  =  South-East. 

sec.=  Second.  15 

Sir.=  Ecclesiasticus  (The  Wisdom 
of  Jesus,  the  son  of  Sirach). 

Sol.=  Solomon. 

SW  =  South -West. 

Targ.  =  Targum,   the  Jewish  trans-  20 
lation  or  paraphrase  of  the  Scriptures 
in  the  Western  Aramaic  dialect. 

Thess.  =  Thessalonians. 

Tim.  =  Timothy. 

Tob.  =  Tobit.  25 

v.,  or  V.=  Verse. 

vv.,  or  VV.=  Verses. 

z'«>.=  Namely  (Lat.  videlicet). 

vol.,  or  Vol. =  Volume. 

vols.,  or  Vols.  =  Volumes.  30 

Vulg.  =  V^ulgate,  the  ancient  Latin 
Version  of  the  Bible,  made  by  St. 
Jerome  about  400  a.  d. 

W  =  West. 

WNW  =  West-North-West.  35 

WS\V  =  \Vest-South-West. 

Zech.=  Zechariah. 

Zeph.=  Zephaniah. 


(E;i:<racfe  from  t%t  (preface  of  i%t.  ilut^ortjcS  (Pcreion. 

In   conclusion,    no    words  of  ours  can  so   befittingly,    or  so  eloquently,  set  40 
forth  the  motives  which  have   guided  us,  or  so  amply  justify  our  Translation, 
as  the  following  extracts  from  thc^  Preface  to  the   Authorized  Version  of  161 1; 
three   hundred   years   have  not  veiled  their  truth,  and  tliey  encourage  us  to-day 
in  tones  as  commanding  as  when  the  pious  translators  first  uttered  them  :  — 

"Things  of  this  quality  have  ever  been  subject  to  the  censures  of  illmeaning  45 
and  discontented  persons.  For  was  there  ever  any  thing  projected,  that  savored 
any  way  of  newness  or  renewing,  but  the  same  endured  many  a  storm  of  gain- 
saying or  opposition?  In  some  Commonweals  it  was  made  a  capital  crime,  once 
to  motion  the  making  of  a  new  law  for  the  abrogating  of  an  old,  though  the 
same  were  most  pernicious.  As  oft  as  we  do  any  thing  of  note  or  consequence,  50 
we  subject  ourselves  to  every  one's  censure.  So  hard  a  thing  is  it  to  please  all, 
even  when  we  please  God  best,  and  do  seek  to  approve  ourselves  to  every  one's 


conscience.  Whosoever  attempteth  any  tiling  for  the  public  (specially  if  it 
pertain  to  religion,  and  to  the  opening  and  clearing  of  the  word  of  (jod)  the 
same  setteth  himself  upon  a  stage  to  be  gloated  upon  by  every  evil  eye ;  yea, 
he  casteth  himself  headlong  upon  pikes,  to  be  gored  by  every^  sharp  tongue. 
5  For  he  that  meddleth  with  men's  religion  in  any  part  meddleth  with  their  cus- 
tom, nay,  with  their  freehold  ;  and  though  they  find  no  content  in  that  which 
they  have,  yet  they  cannot  abide  to  hear  of  altering. 

But  now  what  piety  without   truth?      What   truth,  what  saving  truth,  without 
tile  word  of  God?      What   word  of  God,  whereof  we  may  be  sure,  without  tlie 

lo  .Scripture?  The  Scriptures  we  are  ct)nimanded  to  search,  John  5,39;  Esa.  8,20. 
The  Scripture  is  not  only  an  armor,  but  also  a  whole  armory  of  weapons,  both 
offensive  and  defensive  ;  it  is  a  fountain  of  most  pure  water  springing  up  unto 
everlasting  life.  Happy  is  the  man  that  delighteth  in  the  Scripture,  and  thrice 
happy  that  meditateth  in  it  day  and  night. - 

15  But   how   shall   men  meditate  in  that  which  they  cannot  understand?     How 

shall  they  understand  that  which  is  kept  close  in  an  unknown  tongue?  Trans- 
lation it  is  that  openeth  the  window,  to  let  in  the  light ;  tliat  breaketh  the  shell, 
that  we  may  eat  the  kernel  ;  that  putteth  aside  the  curtain,  that  we  may  look 
into   the   most   holy   place ;    that  removeth   the  cover  of   the  well,   that  we  may 

20  come  by  the  water.  Indeed  without  translation  into  the  vulgar  tongue,  the 
unlearned  are  but  like  children  at  Jacob's  well  (which  was  deep)*  without  a 
bucket  or  something  to  draw  with  ;  or  as  that  person  mentioned  by  Esay,^  to 
whom  when  a  sealed  book  was  delivered  with  this  motion :  Read  //lis,  I  pray 
//ler,  he  was  fain  to  make  this  answer :   /  canno/,  for  i/  is  sea/ed. 

25  The   godly  learned  were   not  content   to  have  the  Scriptures  in  the  language 

which  themselves  understood,  but  also  for  the  behoof  and  edifying  of  the 
unlearned,  which  hungered  and  thirsted  after  righteousness,*  and  had  souls  to 
be  saved  as  well  as  they,  they  provided  translations  into  the  vulgar  for  their 
countrymen.      So    that   to   have   the   Scriptures   in   the   mother   tongue   is   not  a 

30  quaint  conceit  lately  taken  up,  but  has  been  thought  upon,  and  put  in  practice 
of  old,  even  from  the  first  times  of  the  conversion  of  any  nation ;  no  doubt 
because  it  was  esteemed  most  profitable  to  cause  faith  to  grow  in  men's  hearts 
the  sooner,  and  to  make  them  to  be  able  to  say  with  the  words  of  the  Psalm  :' 
As  we  /lave  /leard,  so  xve  have  seen. 

35  Many    men's    mouths    have    been    open    a    good    while    (and    yet    are    not 

stopped)  with  speeches  about  the  translation  so  long  in  hand,  and  ask  what 
may  be  the  reason,  what  the  necessity,  of  the  etnployment.  Hath  the  Church 
been  deceived,  say  they,  all  this  while  ?  We  hoped  that  we  had  been  in  the 
right   way,    that   we   had   had   the   Oracles   of  God  delivered   unto   us,    and  that 

40  though  all  the  world  had  cause  to  be  oflended,  and  to  complain,  yet  that  w-e 
had  none.  Hath  the  nurse  holden  out  the  breast,  and  nothing  but  wind  in  it? 
Was  their  translation  good  before.  Why  do  they  now  mend  it?  Was  it  not 
good.  Why  then  was  it  obtruded  to  the  people?  We  will  answer  them  briefly 
with   St.   Hicrotne :    Do   we   condemn    //le   ancicn/  ?     In    no    case ;    but  af/er  //le 

45  endeavors  of  //tern  //lat  were  before  us,  we  take  f/ie  best  pains  we  can  in  t/ie 
liouse  of  God.  Blessed  be  they,  and  most  honored  be  their  name,  that  break 
the  ice,  and  give  the  onset  upon  that  which  helpeth  forward  to  the  saving  of 
souls  ! 

Now  what  can  be  more  available  thereto,  than  to  deliver   God's  book   unto 

50  God's  people  in  a  tongue  which  they  understand?  Since  of  an  hidden  treasure, 
and  of  a  fountain  that  is   sealed,   there   is   no  profit.      As   St.  Augustine  saith  : 


'Ps,ilml,2.         ''John  4,11.         »Is:iiah  29  ,  II  .  12.        •>  Mattli.  5  .  6-        ■  Psalm  48  ,  8. 


— »*s^<Sfi:-  3n'ro^i'^'«rH  (Jlcmarfta  -s:S*t^*«-» —  XI 

A  man  had  rather  be  with  his  dog  than  with  a  stranger  (whose  tongue  is 
strange  to  him).  If  we,  building  upon  their  foundation  that  went  before  us, 
and  being  holpen  by  their  labors,  do  endeavor  to  make  that  better  which  they 
left  so  good,  no  man,  we  are  sure,  hath  cause  to  mislike  us  ;  they,  we  persuade 
ourselves,  if  they  were  alive,  would  thank  us.  How  many  books  of  profane  5 
learning  ha\e  been  gone  over  again  and  again,  by  the  same  translators,  by 
others  ?  Let  us  bless  God  from  the  ground  of  our  heart  for  working  this 
religious  care  to  have  the  translations  of  the  Bible  maturely  considered  of  and 
examined.  We  do  not  deny  that  the  very  meanest  translation  of  the  Bible  in 
English  containeth  the  word  of  God.  But  to  whom  ever  was  it  imputed  for  a  10 
fault  (by  such  as  were  wise)  to  go  over  that  which  he  had  done,  and  to  amend 
it  where  he  saw  cause?  If  we  will  be  sons  of  the  truth,  we  must  consider  what 
it  speaketh,  and  trample  upon  our  own  credit,  yea,  and  upon  other  men's  too, 
if  either  be  any  way  an  hindrance  to  it. 

To  that  purpose  there  were  many  chosen,  that  were  greater  in  other  men's  15 
eyes  than  in  their  own,  and  that  sought  the  truth  rather  than  their  own  praise. 
And  in  what  sort  did  these  assemble?  In  the  trust  of  their  own  knowledge, 
or  of  their  sharpness  of  wit,  or  deepness  of  judgment,  as  it  were  in  an  arm  of 
flesh  ?  At  no  hand.  They  trusted  in  Him  that  hath  the  key  of  David,  opening, 
and  no  man  sliutting.^  In  this  confidence,  and  with  this  devotion,  did  they  20 
assemble  together  ;  not  too  many,  lest  one  should  trouble  another ;  and  yet 
many,  lest  many  things  haply  might  escape  them.  If  you  ask  what  they  had 
before  them,  truly  it  was  the  Hebrew  text  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  Greek  of 
the  New.  These  are  the  two  golden  pipes,  or  rather  conduits,  wherethrough 
the  olive  branches  empty  themselves  into  the  gold.^  25 

Matters  of  such  weight  and  consequence  are  to  be  speeded  with  maturity; 
for  in  a  business  of  moment  a  man  feareth  not  the  blame  of  convenient  slack- 
ness. Neither  did  we  think  much  to  consult  the  translators  or  commentators, 
Chaldee,  Hebrew,  Syrian,  Greek,  or  Latin ;  neither  did  we  disdain  to  revise 
that  which  we  had  done,  and  to  bring  back  to  the  anvil  that  which  we  had  30 
hammered  ;  but  having  and  using  as  great  helps  as  were  needful,  and  fearing 
no  reproach  for  slowness,  nor  coveting  praise  for  expedition,  we  have  at  length, 
through  the  good  hand  of  the  Lord  upon  us,'  brought  the  work  to  that  pass 
that  you   see. 

Some  peradventure  would  have  no  variety  of  senses  to  be  set  in  the  margin,  35 
lest  the  authority  of  the  Scriptures  for  deciding  of  controversies  by  that  show  of 
uncertainty  should  somewhat  be  shaken.     But  we  hold  their  judgment  not  to  be 
so  sound  in  this  point.     There  be  many  words  in  the  Scriptures,  which  be  never 
found    there   but   once   (having   neither    brother   nor   neighbor,  as    the    Hebrews 
speak)    so   that    we   cannot   be  holpen    by  conference   of  places.      Again,   there  40 
be  many  rare  names  of  certain  birds,  beasts,  and  precious  stones,  &c.,  concern- 
ing which  the  Hebrezvs  themselves  are    so   divided   among   themselves  for  judg- 
ment, that   they   may   seem  to   have   defined   this   or  that,  rather   because    they 
would  say   something,  than   because  they   were  sure   of   that  which    they   said. 
Now  in  such  a  case,  doth   not   a  margin   do  well   to   admonish   the    Reader   to  45 
seek  further,  and   not  to  conclude  or  dogmatize  upon  this  or  that  peremptorily? 
For  as  it  is  a  fault  of  incredulity,  to  doubt  of  those  things  that  are   evident ;   so 
to  determine  of  such  things  as  the  Spirit  of  God  hath  left  (even  in  the  judgment 
of  the  judicious)   questionable,  can   be   no   less   than   presumption.     Diversity  of 
signification  and  sense  in  the  margin,  where  the  text  is  not  so  clear,   must  needs  50 
do  good ;  yea,  is  necessary,  as  we  are  persuaded. 


•  Rev.  3,7.  «  Zech.  4,12.  '  »  Ezra  7,9;   Neh.  2,8.18 


3n<robuctorg  (^cmarfte  ■ 

Anotln-r  lliing  we  think  jjixxl  to  admcmisli  thee  of,  gentle  Reader,  that  we 
have  not  tied  ourselves  to  an  uniformity  of  phrasing,  or  to  an  identity  of  words, 
as  some  peradventure  would  wish  that  we  had  done,  because  they  observe,  that 
some  learned  men  somewhere  have  been  as  exact  as  they  could  that  way. 
5  Truly,  that  we  might  not  vary  from  the  sense  of  that  wliich  we  had  translated 
before,  if  the  word  signified  the  same  thing  in  both  places  (for  there  be  some 
words  that  lie  not  of  the  same  sense  every  where)  we  were  especially  careful, 
and  made  a  conscience,  according  to  our  duty.  But  that  we  should  e.xpress  the 
same  notion  in  the  same  particular  word  ;  as  for  e.xample,  if  we  translate  the 
to  Uehrciv  or  Greek  word  once  by  purpose,  never  to  call  it  intent;  if  one  where 
journeying,  w^witr  traveling  \  if  one  where  think,  never  suppose;  if  one  where 
pain,  never  aehe;  if  one  where  joy,  never  gladness,  &c.,  thus  to  mince  the 
matter,  we  thought  to  savor  more  of  curiosity  than  wisdom,  and  that  rather  it 
would  breed  .scorn  in  the  atheist,  than  bring  profit  to  the  godly  reader.  For  is 
15  the  kingdom  of  God  become  words  or  syllables?  Why  should  we  be  in  bond- 
age to  them,  if  we  may  be  free?  Use  one  precisely,  when  we  may  use  another 
no  less  fit  as  commodiously  ? 

A  godly  Father"  in  the    primitive  time  reporteth  that  he  was  much  abused 

for    turning    cueurbila^     (to    which    reading    the    people    had    been    used)    into 

20  hcilera.''      Now   if  this   happen   in   better   times,   and   upon    so   small    occasions, 

we    might  justly    fear   hard   censure,    if  generally  we   should    make   verbal    and 

unnecessary  changings. 

We  might  also  be  charged  (by  scoffers)  with  some  unequal  dealing  towards 
a  great  number  of  good  English  words.  If  we  should  say,  as  it  were,  unto 
25  certain  words:  Stand  up  higher,  have  a  place  in  the  Bible  always;  and  to  others 
of  like  quality :  Get  you  hence,  be  banished  for  ever ;  we  might  be  ta.xed  per- 
ad\enture  with  St.  James's  words,  namely,  To  be  partial  in  ourselves,  and 
judges  of  evil  thoughts.' 

Lastly,  we  have  on  the  one  side  avoided  the  scrupulosity  of  the  Puritanes, 
30  who  leave  the  old  Ecclesiastical  words,  and  betake  them  to  other,  as  when 
they  put  ivashing  for  baptism,  and  eongrcgation  instead  of  Church ;  as  also  on 
the  other  side  we  have  shunned  the  obscurity  of  the  Papists,  in  their  azymes, 
tunike,  rational,  holocausts,  prccpuce,  pasche,  and  a  number  of  such  like.  We 
desire  that  the  Scripture  may  speak  like  itself,  as  in  the  language  of  Canaan, 
35  that  it  may  be  understood  even  of  tlie  very  vulgar. 

Many   other  things   we   might   give   thee  warning   of,    gentle    Reader,    if  we 

had   not    exceeded    the   measure   of   a   preface    already.      It   remaineth    that   we 

commend  thee   to   God,  and   to  the  Spirit  of  His   grace,   which   is  able  to  build 

further  than  we  can  ask  or  think.     He  removeth  the  scales  from  our  eyes,   the 

40  veil   from   our    hearts,    opening    our    wits    that   we   may   understand    His   word, 

enlarging  our  hearts,   yea,  correcting  our  affections,   that  we  may  love  it   above 

gold   and   silver,    yea,   that   we   may   love   it  to   the   end.     Ye   are  brought   unto 

fountains   of   living  water  which  ye   digged   not ;    do   not  cast  earth  into   them, 

neither  prefer   broken   pits   before  them.      Others   have   labored,    and   you    may 

45  enter   into   their   labors.      O   receive   not   so   great   things   in   vain.     Be   not   like 

swine  to  tread  under  foot  so  precious  things,  neither  yet   like  dogs  to  tear  and 

abuse  holy   things.     If  light   be   come   into   the  world,   love  not   darkness  more 

than  light ;   if  food,  if  clothing  be  offered,  go  not  naked,   starve   not  yourselves. 

Remember  the   advice,  It  is   a  grievous  thing  to   neglect  a  great  fair,  and  to 

50  seek  to  make  markets  afterwards.     Amen." 

*a>!^ 


"St.  Jerome  (about  400  A.  D.).  »gourd  (Jonali  4  , 6).  >'ivy.  'Jas.  2,4. 


a&aia^ 


!♦  (BenuiM  (prophecies  of  '^eaia^ 

Prophecv   I . 

§iv6t  to^cdion  of  Jeata^'©  (prop^ccie© 


2.  I 


1.  Z?)C  ^m^tnlxn^  ®ap  of  t(it  £ov6. 

(Soon  after  740  b.  c. ) 

HE    WORD    that    Isaiali    ben-Amoz    saw'    concerning  5 
Judah  and  Jerusalem. 

************  [of  Jhvh  ! 
(3  House  of  Jacob  !  come,  let  us  walk  in  the  light 
Yea,  Thou,  -Jhvh*,   hast  renounced  Thy  people,^  the 

House  of  Jacob,  10 
Because  they  are  full  of  cdiviners)  from  the  East, 3  and 
of  soothsayers  like  the  Philistines,* 
And  with  foreigners  they  strike  hands  *in  agreement*. 
7  Israel's   land   is   become   full    of  sih-er   and    gold  —  endless    +the   sum 

of*  his  treasures —  15 
His    land    is    become    full    of   horses  —  endless    *the    number    of*    his 
S  His  land  is  become  full  of  idols,  [chariots, ^ 

To   the  work    of   his   own    hands  ihe   bows    downi,  to  that  which    his 

own  fingers  have  wrought ; 


2,9-22  -^«*e^®Ss- 1  3e<»ia5 -^S^*^**—  2 

2,9+All*   humankind    is   bowed   down,  and    man    is   brought   low;  and 

Thou  canst  not  forgive  themi ! 

10  Go   into  "tile  clefts-  of  the  rocks,  and   hide  thyself  in  the  dust, 
At  the  terror  of  Jhvii  and  the  splendor  of  His  majesty, 

■  When    He   arises   to    strike   awe   throughout   the    earth-.  5 

THE    SAME    SUBJECT    AGAIN    (fROM    ANOTHER    POEM).^ 
**************** 

11  The  chaughtiness)  of  humankind  shall  be  cbowed  down), 
And  the  loftiness  of  man  (brought  low), 

And    in    that    day    shall    Jhvh    alone   be    exalted.  10 

12  For  a   day''   ♦of   doom+    has    Jhvh    Sabaoth    for   all   that    is    proud 
And  for  all  that  is  lifted  up  and  <high> ;  [and   lofty, 

13  For  all  the  cedars  of  Lebanon,  the  lofty. 
And  for  all  the  oaks  of  Bashan,  the  uplifted, 

14  For  all  the  mountains,  the  lofty,  15 
And  for  all  the  hills,  the  uplifted, 

15  For  every  high  tower, 
And  for  every  fenced  wall, 

16  For  all  ships  of  Tarshish,^ 

And  for  all  stately   ivessels?  .5  20 

17  The   haughtiness  of  humankind  shall  be  bowed  down. 
And  the  loftiness  of  man  brought  low. 

And    in    that    day    shall   Jhvh    alone   be   exalted. 

CONTINUATION    OF    THE    FIRST    DESCRIPTION. 

18  The  idols 25 

*************** 
*************** 
***************         [ground, 

19  And    men  shall    go  into  caverns  of  rocks,  and    into  holes    of  the 
At  the  terror  of  Jhvh,  and  the  splendor  of  His  majesty,  30 
When    He   arises   to    strike    awe    throughout    the    earth." 


2 ,  20  *  To  'the   moles'  and    to    the  bats,    in  that  day,    shall    men  cast    their  idols   of 

21  silver  and  gold,  which  they  made  to  bow  down  to,  that  they  may  go  into  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  and  into  the  rents  of  the  cliffs,  at  the  terror  of  Jhvh  and 
the    splendor    of   His    majesty,  when    He  arises    to  strike  awe  throughout  the 

22  earth.  Oh,  cease  trusting  in  man,  in  whose  nostrils  is  a  breath  !  for  at  what 
is  he  to  be  valued ! 


3  ^«4-e|«ss«- 1  36ata5 -sjiBfeM.^—  3,1-15 

2.  faff  cf  3u5a6. 

Its  cause  indicated  (735  n.  c.  )i° 

3,1    I    ''OR    behold,    the    Lord    Jhvh    Sabaoth    removes   from    Jerusalem 

2  1  and  from  Judah  every  stay  and  support :"  the  knight  and  the 
warrior,  the  judge  and  the    prophet,  the    diviner    and    the    elder,  the  5 

3  captain    of  fifty  and    the  man  of  eminence,  the  counselor,  the  magi- 

4  cian  and  the  expert  in    charms.      I    will    make    youths    their    princes, 

5  and  insulting  boys  shall  rule  over  them ;  yea,  the  people  shall 
tyrannize  one  over  another,  man  over  man,  and  neighbor  over 
neighbor  ;  they  shall  be  insolent,    the  boy  to  the  aged,  the  mean  to  10 

6  the  honorable.  When  one  man  takes  hold  of  another  in  his 
father's    house,  tsaying* :    Thou    hast    tstilh    an    upper    garment,    be 

7  thou  our  chieftain,  be  thine  this  heap  of  ruins !  in  that  day,  he 
shall  cry  aloud :  I  will  not  be  tyour+  physician ;  in  my  house  is 
neither  bread   nor   upper  garment ;    ye  shall  not  make  me    chieftain.  15 

8  For  Jerusalem  comes  to  ruin,   and  Judah  falls. 
Because  their  tongue  and  their  deeds  are  against  Jhvh 
To  defy  His  glorious  eyes. 

9  Their  observance  of  persons  witnesses  against  them," 

And  their  sin  they  publish*  without  disguise  ;  20 

Woe  unto  them !    for  they  have  wrought  their  own  misfortunes.' 

12  My    people  —  a    boy    is    their    governor,    and    over    them     rule 

women. "^ 
•  My  people !    thy  guides    lead    thee   astray,    and'   thy  paths    they 

have  brought  to  confusion.  25 

13  Jhvh  comes  forward  to  plead;  He  stands  to  judge  <His  people> ; 

14  Jhvh   enters  into   judgment  with    the    elders    of   His    people   and 

with  the  princes  thereof   +sayingt : 
And  ye,  ye,   +like  cattle*,  have  devoured   the  vineyard  ;  the    spoil 

of  the  destitute  is  in  your  houses.  3° 

15  What  mean  ye  by  crushing  my  people,  and  by  grinding  the  face 
Thus  says  the  Lord  Jhvh   Sabaoth.  [of  the  destitute? 


3,1  -all  stay  of  bread  and  all  support  of  water  9  ^like  Sodom 

* 

10  ''Happy  is  the  righteous,  it  is   well  'with   him*;   the  fruit  of  his  deeds  he  shall 

11  eat.     Woe  unto  the  wicked  !   he  fares  ill ;   the  work  of  his  hands  shall  be  done 
to  him. 

12  ''the  way 


3,  i6-4.6  — ^-^-emsai-X  ^aataB -sy-^?sH«—  4 

3.    (pumo^ment  of  t^i  (proub  BaStco  of  Jcnieafcm. 

(735  B-C.) 
3, 16   AND  JiiVH  said  :'3 

iV    Because  Zion's  daughters  are  haughty, 

And  walk   with  neck  thrown  back  and  leering  eyes,         [ankles,  5 
Tri])i)iiig    along    as    they    go,  and    making    a    chime  with    their 
17  With    scabs   will    the    Lord   encrust   the    crowns    of  their   heads, 

Jii\'H   will  expose  their  cshames)  ;" 
24  Instead   of  perfume   there   shall   be   rottenness,   and   instead  of  a 

girdle  a  rope,  10 
Instead    of   artful     curls,    baldness,    and    instead    of    a    flowing 

mantle,   girding  of  sackcloth." 
4,1  In    that    day  seven  women   will    seize    upon    one    man,  saying:     Our 
own    bread    will    we    eat,  and    with    our    own    garments    will    we    be 
clad  ;     only    let     us    be    called    by    thy    name,    take    thou    awaj'    our  15 
disgrace.''' 

4.  QUeeetantc  JtlppcnJtv.'s 

(Post-Exilic ) 

2  T  N  that  day,  to  those  of  Israel  who   have   escaped,  will   the  *self— 

J.    springing  plants   of  Jhvh'*   be  grace   and  glory,  and   the   fruit   of  20 

3  the  land  pride  and  adornment."'  Then  will  he  who  is  left  in  Zion, 
and   remains   in  Jerusalem,  be  called   holy,'?   +yea+  every  one   who   is 

4  registered  *and  appointed*  for  life"^  in  Jerusalem,  when  the  Lord  has 
washed  off  the  filth  of  Zion's  daughters,  and  cleansed  the  guilt}- 
blood-stains    of  Jerusalem    from    the   midst    thereof''  by  a    breath    of  25 

5  judgment  and  a  breath  of  extirpation.'"  <He  will  come,  and  there 
will  be>  over  the  whole  place  of  Mount  Zion  and  o\'er  Zion's 
assemblies    a    cloud    by   day,    and    smoke    with    the    brightness    of   a 

6  flaming    fire   by  nighty"    and    -He   will    show    Himself>  as   a   shade'' 
from   the    heat,   and   as    a    refuge   and   as   a    shelter    from    storm   and  30 
from   rain. 


3,18  "In  that  day  Jhvh  will   put  away  the  finery  of  the  anklets,  and  the  little  suns 
19.20  and   moons;   the   ear-drops,  the   arm-chains,    and   the   long  veils;    the    diadems, 

21  the  step-chains,   the  girdles,   the  perfume-boxes,   and  the  amulets;    the    signet- 

22  rings  and  the  nose-rings ;    the  rich  dresses,  the  mantles,   the    shawls,   and    the 

23  purses  ;   the  mirrors,  the  linen  vests,  the  turbans,  and  the  large  veils. 

* 
24.25  "A   liraiul    instead    of   beauty. — Thy   burghers   will    fall   l^y   the   sword,    and   thy 
26  warriors  in  battle.     And  her  gates  will  sigh  and  lament,  and  being   emptied   she 
will  sit  on  the  ground. 
* 
4,5'  for  over  every  glorious  thing  will  l)e  a  canopy  6  '  by  day 


Prophecy  2. 

(paraBfc  of  t^c  (^inc^atb: 

(About  735  B.  c. ) 

5,1     A     SONG  will  I  sint;  of  my  friend, 

l\.    A  cloven-song  touching   his  vineyard.  5 

A  vineyard  belongs  to  my  friend, 
On  a  hill  that  is  fruitful  and  sunny; 

2  He  digged  it,  and  cleared  it  of  stones, 

And  planted  there  vines  that  are  choice; 
A  tower  he  built  in  the  midst,  10 

And  hewed  also  therein  a  wine-vat; 
And  he  looked  to  find  grapes  that  are  good, 

Alas  I  it  bore  grapes  that  are  wild. 

3  Ye,   in  Jerusalem   dwelling. 

And  ye,  who  are  freemen  of  Judah,  15 

Judge  ye,   I  pray,  between  me 
And  my  +cherished*  vineyard. 

4  What  could  have  been  done  for  my  vineyard 

That  I   had  not  done  ? 
When  I   looked  to  find  grapes  that  are  good,  20 

Why  bore  it  grapes  that  are  wild  ? 

5  And  now  let  me  give  you    to  know 

What  I  purpose  to  do  to  my  vineyard: 
♦I  willt  take  away  its  hedge. 

That  it  be  eaten   up,  25 

*I  will*  break  through  its  walls, 

That  it  be  trodden  down; 

6  Yea,   I  will  make  it  a  waste. 

Neither  pruned  nor  weeded; 

It  shall  shoot  up  in  thorns  and  briars,  30 

And  the  clouds  will   I   enjoin  that  they  rain  not  upon  it. 

7  For  the  vineyard  of  Jhvh  Sabaoth  is  the   House  of  Israel, 
And  the  men  of  Judah   His  cherished  plantation ; 

And   He  looked  for  justice,  but  behold!    sbloodshedi. 

For  righteousness,  but  behold !    an   outcry.  35 


5,8-2o  — 9.«^«SSs- 1  38ata^  •«**g3-«-'^ 

Prophecy  3. 

^i;i:fof5  ©cnunctafton.' 

(About  735  B.C.) 


5,8  "\  ^ /"OE    unto    those   who   join    house  to   house,  who   add   field  to 
V  V  field,  till  there  is  no  more  room,  5 

And  ye  are  settled  alone  in  the  midst  of  the  land  !^ 
9  cThcrcfore    thus>  has   Jhvh   Sabaoth  crevealcd    Himself,  in   mine  ears : 
Surely  +your+  many  houses   shall   become   a   desolation,  tyour*   great 

and  fair  tplaces*  without  inhabitant ; 

10  For  ten   acres   of  vineyard   shall   yield  'but*  one   bath,  and  the  seed  10 

of  a  homer  *but*  an  ephah.3 

11  Woe  unto  those  who  rise  at  dawn  to  addict  themselves  to  mead,'' 
Who  tarry  late  in  the  evening,  inflamed  with  wine  ;  [banquets,' 

12  And    lute    and     harp,     timbrel    and     flute,     and    wine    are    at    their 
But   they  regard    not   Jhvh's   work,  and   they   see   not   the   operation  15 

13  Therefore  my  people  go  into  exile  unawares,  [of  His  hands. 
And    their   honored   ones   are  <sapless   from;   hunger,  and   their   noisy 

throng  parched  with  thirst. 

14  Therefore    Sheol    gapes    ravenously,    and    opens    the    mouth    to    its 

widest ;  20 
And   the   splendor   of   Zion,  and    her   busy  throng,  and   all   who   are 
joyous  within  her,  plunge  *headlong«  into  it," 

17  And  lambs  graze  .   .   .   ,  and  the  fatlings*  feed  amid  ruins. 

18  Woe    unto    those    who    draw    guilt    ^on    themselves*    with    cords    of 
And  punishment  as  with  traces  of  a  wain  ;  [ungodliness,  25 

19  Who  say :   Let  His  work  hasten,  let  it  speed,  that  we  may  see  it. 
Let    the    purpose    of   Israel's    Holy   One   draw   nigh   and   come,  that 

we  may  perceive  it  !* 

20  Woe  unto  those  who  call  evil  good,  and  good  evil, 

Who  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  darkness,  3° 

Who  put  bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for  bitter  P 


5,15  "So   'all'   humankind   is   bowed   down,   and   man   is   brou,a;ht  low,    and   the   eyes 

16  of  the  hi^h  ones  are  brought  low;  but  Jhvh  Sabaoth  is  -seen  to  be«  high 
through  judgment,  and  the  holy  God  shows  Himself  hol>-  through  right- 
eousness. 

* 

17  ^-kids- 


■  X  'ieaia^ -^im^im-^^-  5,21-9,12 

5,21  Woe   unto  those  who  are  wise   in   their  own  eyes,   and  keen-witted 
************  [in  their  own  conceit ! 

[in  spicing  mead, 

22  Woe   unto   those  who  are  mighty — in  drinking  wine,  and  valiant  — 

23  Who,    for    a    bribe,    declare    the    wicked    righteous,    and    strip    the  5 

righteous  of  his  righteousness  !^ 
***************  [a  flame, 

24  Therefore,  as   fire's   tongue   devours   stubble,   and   as    hay   shrivels   in 
Their    root   shall    become   rottenness,   and  their  blossom   go   up   like 

dust,  10 
Because   they  have    despised   the   instruction  of  Jhvh    Sabaoth,  and 

spurned  the  word  of  Israel's   Holy  One. 

25  Therefore  against  His  people  the  wrath  of  Jhvh  is'  kindled,  and 
against    them    He    stretches    His    hand.      He    smites    them    until    the 
mountains    tremble,  and  their  carcasses    rot   in    the    streets.      For   all  15 
this  His  anger  is  not  turned  away,  and  His  hand  is  still  outstretched. 


Prophecy  4. 

^ucce00tt?e  0ta^c0  of  t^c  ^ub^mcnt  upon  aff  ^etacV 

(735    B.  C.) 

9,S     A     WORD  has  the  Lord  sent  into  Jacob,  20 

l\.    And  it  shall  light  down  on   Israel, 
9  That  all  the  people  may  feel  it, 
*Yea+,   Ephraim  and  the  men  of  Samaria, 
cWho  have  stiffened  their  neck>  in  pride 
And  in  stoutness  of  heart,  saying  :  25 

10  Bricks  have  fallen  down,  but  with  hewn  stone  will  we  build  up, 
Sycomores   have  been  felled,  but  cedars   shall  fill  their  place. ^ 

11  Hence  against  tliem  Jhvh   stirred  up  tthcir  foe^," 
And  their  enemies  He  spurred  on, 

12  Syria  on  the  East,   the  Philistines  on  the  Wcst,3  30 
And  they  devoured  Israel  greedily. 

For    all    this    His    anger    turned    not    away. 
And    still    was    His    hand    outstretched. 


9,11  "Rezin 


9,13-10.3  — -ic^reSfs- 1  38ai<»6 -^S^Ss** —  8 

9,13  But  to   Him   vviio  smote  thcni   the  people  turned   not, 
And  Jhvh"  they  did  not  regard. 

14  So  from   Israel  Jhvh   cut  off  head  and  tail, 
Palm-branch   and   rush  in  one  day  ;■• 

15  The  elder  and  the  man  of  eminence,   he  is  the  head,  5 
And  the  prophet  who  gives  false  oracles,   he  is  the  tail. 

36  So  the  guides  of  this  people  proved  misleading. 

And  those  who  were  guided  tby  them+  were  distraught. 

17  Therefore  the   Lord  tspares>  not  their  young  warriors, 

And  on  orphans  and  widows   He  has  no  compassion,  10 

Because  every  one  is  impious  and  an  evil-doer, 

And  every  mouth  speaks  folly. 

For    all    this    His    anger    turned    not    away, 

And    still    was     His    ha  n  d    outstretched. 

iS  For  unrighteousness  burns   like  a  fire,  15 

Consuming  thorns  and  briars  ; 

It   kindles   the  thickets   of  the  forest, 

Upward  they   cwhirh   in   columns  of  smoke.' 
ig^'By  the  fury  of  Jhvh"  the  land  was  ^burned   up>, 

And  the  people  became  food  for  the  flames.  [famished,  20 

2o"They     carved     off    slices    on     the     right,    and    *stilU    they    were 

They  devoured  on  the  left,   and  +stilh  were  unsatisfied  ;* 
ig'^None  had  pity  on   his  fellow, 
2o''Every  one   devoured   his   -neighbor' s>   flesh  : 
21  Manasseh   tdevoured*   Ephraim,  and   Ephraim   Manasseh,  25 

^But*  both  together  were  against  Judah.' 

For    all    this    His    anger    turned    not    away, 

And    still    was     His    hand    outstretched. 

10,1  Woe  unto  those  who  set  up  unjust  decrees,' 

And  the  scribes  who  busily  write  oppression  30 

2  To  turn  aside  the  helpless  from  judgment, 

And  to  despoil  the  wretched  of  my  people  of  their  rights 

That  widows   may  be  their  prey, 

And  that  orphans  may  be  their  plunder ! 

3  What,  then,   will  ye  do  in  the  day  of  visitation  35 
And   of  crashing  storm   which   comes  from  afar  ? 

To  whom  for  aid  will  ye  flee, 

And  where  will  ye  leave  your  wealth  ? 


9. 13. 19  '.Sab.ioth 


9  — «-s«S<€i>  I  Jeaid^ -siSjsiE*^-* —  10,4-6,2 

io,4cBeltis  has  sunk  down,   Osiris  is  broken;,^ 
And  under  the  slain  they  fall. 

For    all    this    His    anger    is    not    turned    away, 
And    His    hand    is    still    outstretched. 

5,26  So   He  will   raise  a  signal'"  to  a  distant  cnationj,  5 

And   hiss"  to  them  to  come  from  the  end  of  the  earth  ; 
And  lo  I  speedily,   swiftly  they  come. 

27  None  there  is  weary,   and  among  them  none  stumbles,' 

The    zone  of  their  loins   is   not  loosened,  of  their  sandals  there 

tears  not  a  thong,  10 

28  Their  arrows  are  sharpened,  and  their  bows  are  all  bent, 

The  hoofs  of  their  horses    are  counted  as  flint,  and  as  a  whirl- 
wind their  wheels ; 

29  Their    roaring   is    like    that  of   the    lion,    yea,    like   young    lions 

they  roar,  15 
And   growl,  and  seize  the  prey,   and  carry  it  off  safe,  and  none 

rescues  +it*. 

30  And  there  shall  be  over  them,  in  that  day,'^  a  booming,  like 
the  booming  of  the  sea,  and  if  one  look  to  the  earth,  behold,  dark- 
ness full  of  distress *      *      «     *      *  20 


Pkophecv  5. 


1-  ^eata^'e  dHcceunf  of  tU  QOieion  of  6t6  Coneecrafton." 

(About  734  B.C.)  25 

6,1    T  N    the    year    that    King    Uzziah     died,    I     saw    the     Lord    sitting 

1    upon    a     high     and     uplifted     throne ;     the    train    of    His    +robe+ 

2  filled    the    Temple.      Seraphim    stood   erect   before    Him;=  each   one 


5  ,  27  » they  neither  slumber  nor  sleep 


6,3-7,2  -it^^mif  1  3g'''ft&  -3»B»j^i°« —  10 

6  had    six   wings  :    one    pair   covered   the  face,   another  the   loins,"  and 

3  the  third  served  for  flight.  And  again  and  again  tliey  cried  to 
one  another,   saying  : 

Holy,   holy,   holy,  is  Jhvh  Sabaoth, 

The  whole  earth  is  full  of  His  glory.  5 

4  And  the  foundations  of  the   thresholds   shook   at   the  sound  of  their 

5  voices,  and  the  Temple  was  filled  with  smoke. 3  And  I  said  ;  Woe 
is  me !  I  am  undone !  I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips  \'>  I  dwell 
amid    a    people    of   unclean    lips  1     mine    eyes    have   seen    The    King, 

6  JnvH    Sabaoth  !     Then  flew  to  me  one  of  the  Seraphim,  with  a  hot  lo 
stone    in    his    hand,    that    he    had    taken    with    tongs    from    off  the 

7  altar;5    and   with    it   he  touched    m)^  mouth,  and   said:    Lo!    this   has 

8  touched  thy  lips ;  thy  iniquity  is  gone,  and  thy  sin  forgiven.  And 
I  heard  the  voice  of  Jhvh,   saying:    Whom  shall   I   send?    and  who 

9  will   go   for   us  ?*     And   I    said :     Here   am    I  ;     send    me.      And    He  15 
said :  Go,  and  say  to  this  people  : 

Hear  on,  but  understand  not !     See  on,  but  perceive  not ! 
10  Make  fat  this  people's    heart,   make    dull    their  ears,   and    besmear 

their  eyes. 
Lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and  their  20 
heart  understand,   and  their  health  be  restored. 

II  And  I   said:   How  long,   O   Lord?     And   He  said: 

Until    cities    be    waste    without     inhabitants,    and     houses     without 

men,  and  the  land  <be  left>  a  desolation, 

12  And    JiiVH   have  sent  the  men  far   away,   and    in  the  heart  of  the  25 

land  the  deserted  regions   be  wide. 

13  And    should  there    be    still    a    tenth    in    it,   this    must,    in    turn,   be 

consumed, 
Like  the  terebinth  and  the  oak,  whereof  a  stock  after  felling 
The  stock  thereof  is  holy  seed.  [remains.'  30 

2.  3w<J6ton  of  (^c?tn,  ani  tHii  ^tgn  of  3"»»"a»«"«f.^ 

(734  n.  c;   edited  late) 

7,1      A  ND    it    came    to    pass    in    the    days    of   Ahaz    ben-Jotham    ben- 

-Lx.  Uzziah,     king    of    Judah,     that     Rezin,     king     of    Syria,     with 

Pekah  ben-Remaliah,  king  of  Israel,  w'ent  up  to  Jerusalem  to  assault  35 

2  it,    but    he    was    not    able  to    take    it.'     And    it  was    reported  to  the 

House  of  David  that  S\'ria  had  settled  down'°  upon  Ephraim.      And 


II  — »*«*6@Si- 1  38ata^ -iasjgs** —  7,3-19 

7  +Ahaz'*    heart    and    the    heart   of  his    people   shook    as    the    trees    of 

3  the  forest  shake  before  the  wind.  And  Jhvh  said  to  Isaiah  : 
Go  forth  now  to  meet  Ahaz,  thou  and  thy  son  Shear-jashub,  at 
the    end  of  the   conduit   of   the    upper   pool,   on  the  highwa)-  by  the 

4  fuller's    field,"    and    say  to   him  :    Be  wary,  and    keep    thyself   calm ;  5 
fear  not,    neither    be  faint-hearted    because   of  these   two  fag-ends   of 
smoking    firebrands,    however    fierce    be    the    wrath    of    Rezin    and 

5  Syria,     and    of     ben-Remaliah.      Because    Syria    has     purposed    evil 

6  against  thee,  *with*  Ephraim  and  ben-Remaliah,  saying :  Let  us 
go     up    against    Judah,    and    tdistressj   it,    and    win    it    for    ourselves,  10 

7  and    appoint    ben-Tabel"    to    be  king  therein.     Thus    says    the    Lord 

8  Jhvh  :  It  shall  not  stand,  neither  shall  it  come  to  pass.  For  the 
head   of  Syria    is    Damascus,  and   the   head   of  Damascus   is    Rezin," 

9  and    the    head    of   Ephraim  is    Samaria,  and  the   head  of   Samaria  is 
ben-Remaliah     *     *     *     *     .      If  ye   hold   not   fast,  verily  }'e  shall  15 
not  stand  fast.'^ 

10.  II  And    Jhvh     spoke   further    to    Ahaz,   saying:  Ask    thee    a    sign 

of  Jhvh,    thy    God ;    choose   it    *either+   ifrom  Sheob  below,    or  from 

12  the    height    above."*     But    Ahaz    said :    I    will    not    ask,    neither    will 

13  I  put  Jhvh  to  the  test.     Then    *Isaiah*    said  :    Hear  now,  O  House  20 
of   David ;    is    it    not    enough    for    you    to  wear>'  men,    but   ye   must 

14  weary  my  God  also  ?  Therefore  the  Lord  Himself  will  give  you 
a    sign  :  '5    Behold,    a    young    woman    will    conceive,   and  bear  a  son, 

16  and   will   call    his   name    Immanuel ;"  because   before   the    boy   knows 
how    to    refuse    the  e\-il,  and    choose  the   good,"''  the  land,   of  whose  25 
two  kings  thou  art  sore  afraid,   will  be  unpeopled.' 

3.  ^i^agmenfes  on  tU  "^ixvoc  wrought  6p  tf)i  dReejnane. 

(Date  uncertain;   partly  recast  by  a  late  editor) 

18  AND    in    that    day    will    Jhvh    hiss    to    the    flies,'    and    to    the 

19  l\  bees,'^'    and    they    will    all    come,    and    settle    in    the    ravines  30 

7, 8''  "and    within    sixty-five    years   shall    Ephraim    be    broken,    that    it    shall    be    no 

longer  a  people 
* 

15  « soured  milk  and   honey   will   be  his  food  when  he  knows   how  to   refuse   the 

evil,  and  choose  the  good 
* 

17  'Jhyh  will  bring  upon  thee,  and  upon  thy  people,  and  upon  thy  father's 
house,  days  such  as  have  not  been  since  the  day  of  Ephraim's  departing  from 
Judah,   •/.  e.'  the  king  of  Assyria. 17 

* 

18  "at  the  end  of  the  streams  of  Egypt  'in  the  land  of  Assyria 


7  .  2'  I  ~  8 .  7  -'  -  :—•:;■-  I  3o'i'i>5  ^®*^3*«^  12 

7  between    the    steep    heJLjhts,   and    in    the    clefts    of   the    rocks,   and   on 

20  all  thorn-hed!|es,  and  on  all  pastures.  In  that  day  will  the  Lord 
sha\  e  with  the  razor  that  is  hired  be\'ond  The  I\.i\er*'  the  head, 
and    the    hitlden    hair,"'    and    the    beard    also    will     it    take    away^° 

21  »      *      «      ;t     *       And    it    w"ill    come    to    pass    in    that    day^'    that  5 

22  a  man  will  keep  a  yoimg  cow  and  two  sheep,  and  it  will  come 
to  pass  that,  because  of  the  abundance  of  milk,  a  man  will 
live  on  soured  milk;  soured  milk  and  honey  will  be  the  food  of 
every    one    who    is    left    in    the    land      ********* 

23  And    it    will    come  to    pass    in    that    day    that    wherever    there    used  10 
to  be    a  thousand  vines    at    a  thousand    pieces   of  silver, ^^  that  place 

24  will  be  all  thorns   and  briars.     With  arrows   and  with  bow  will   men 

25  come  thither,    for  all  the   land   will   become  thorns   and    briars.      And 
as   for   all  the  mountains  that   used  to  be  hoed,  men  will   keep  aloof 
from    them    for    fear    of  thorns    and   briars;    and   it    will    be    a    place  15 
whereto  cattle  may  be  sent,   and  where  sheep  may  trample. 

4.  (Rutn  of  ^jvta  anb  (Sp^ratm. 

(734  "-c-.) 
1,1      A^'D  Jhvh  said    to    me:    Take  thee  a  large  tablet, ^^  and    inscribe 
iV    upon    it    in    plain    characters  :=t    swift  ■  spoil  •  speeuv  ■  pkev;  20 

2  and    -take*    for    me    as    credible   witnesses    Uriah,    the    priest, '^s    and 

3  Zechariah  ben-Jeberechiah.       And    I    approached  the   prophetess,  and 
she    conceived,  and  bore    a    son.     And    Jhvh    said    to    me:    Call    his 

4  name    Maher-shalal-hash-baz ;'''    for    before    the   boy    knows    how   to 
cry   "My    father"   and   "My   mother"   the_\-  will    carr\-  off  the    riches  25 
of  Damascus  and   the  spoil   of  Samaria  before  the  king   of  Assyria.'' 

5.  dReepvian  J^f^isiot '»   t^c  Sort's  (gaming  (0  ^aciia^. 

(734-723    B-C.) 

5  A  XD  Jhvh    spoke  )-et  further  to  me,   saying: 

6  l\.   Forasmuch  as  this  people  have  rejected  the  waters  of  Shiloah  30 
And   despond*      *      *     *      *      *     »  [which    flow   softly, =^ 

7  Therefore    behold,   upon    them,  the   Lord  brings   up    the  waters  of 

The   River,   the    might}'  and   great/ 


7,20  "with  the  king  of  A.ssyria 

8,5''  "because  of  Rezin  and  ben-Remaliah 
* 
7  ••  the   king   of  Assyria  and  all   his  glory 


13  ^«^«3S«€S*- 1  S'^'^'oS  •SSSJcS*^^  8,  8-18 

8  And  it  shall  rise  above  all  its  channels,  and  overflow  all  its  banks, 
8  And     shall    sweep    onward    into    Judah,    shall    flow    o\-er    it,    and 

pass  over  it,   reaching   e\en   to   the   neck. 

***************** 

**************         [thcc^  land.^'  5 

And    *Jhvh's+    outspread    wings    shall    cover    the    full    breadth    of 

cFor=   With    us    is    God  .3°  [of  the   earth ! 

9<Knovv>,  ye  peoples,  and     .      .      .      ;   and  give  ear,  all  }-e  far  lands 

Gird   yourselves,  yet   ye  shall   be  terror-stricken;    gird   yoursehes, 

yet  ye  shall   be   terror-stricken  !  10 

10  Devise  a  plan,    but  it    shall   come    to    nought ;     decree    a    resolve, 
For    With    us    is    God. 3°  [but  it  shall    not  stand  ; 

11  For   thus    JuvH    said   to    me,    mastering    me    with    *His*3'    hand, 
warning   mc   not   to   follow   the   custom   of  this   people ; 

12  Call  ye  not  conspiracy  all  that  this  people  calls  conspiracy, '^  15 
And   that   which   they   fear,    fear   not   ye,    neither   count    it    worthy 

13  Jhvh    Sabaoth,    Him   count   ye  holy,  [of  dread. 
Let    Him   be  your  fear,   and    let   Him   be  your   dread. 

14  He   shall   be"  a  stone  to   strike  against, 33 

A  rock   of  stumbling  to  both    Houses  of  Israel,  20 

A  trap  and   a  snare  to  the   inhabitants   of  Jerusalem. 

15  Many    shall    stumble    thereover,    and    shall     fall    and    be    broken, 

and  be   snared   and    be   taken. 


6.  (Bptfogue  (0  (Recent  (prophetic  (Kcpcfattono. 

(170I1    B.C.) 


25 


16  +  T    WILL*     bind     up    the    admonition,    ^and*    seal     the    instruction 

17  i.      among    my  disciples ;3t   and    I    will    wait    for    Jhvh,    who    hides 
His     face    from    the    House    of   Jacob,    and    in     Him    will    I    hope. 

18  Behold,    I    and    the    children   whom    Jhvh    has    given    me3s  are    signs 

-'00 

and    symbols    +of  what  shall  be*    in   Israel   from    Jhvh    Sabaoth   who  30 
dwells  in  Zion. 


-?^«®e5s^7^-«' 


8,14  °  a  sanctuary,  and 


8,19-9.6  — »»i«^eEBi- 1  38ata5  •si»8»«-8—  14 

7.  5«'03>»en(  on  tU  ©eepatr  of  (^e  (piOTpk  of  3»i*6. 

(734  B.  c;  edited  late) 

8  ,  19     A  ND  when  they  say  to  you :   Consult  the  ghosts  and  the  famihar 
IX.  spirits   that  cheep  and  that  moan, 3*  -tgive  this  answer*:    Should 
not    a    people    ♦rather*    consult    its    God?     on    behalf    of    the    living  5 
20  *should    men     consult*    the    dead?     To    the    instruction    and    to    the 
admonition! 37     Surely  they  will  speak  according  to  this  word. 

*     *     *      *     •he*  for  whom  there  is  no  daybreak. 3^ 

21  And  he  will  pass  through  it, 39  hard-pressed  and  famishing. 

And  it  will  be  that,  when  he  is  famished,  he  will  be  enraged,        10 
Antl     will     curse     his     king    and     his    God,''°  and    turn    his    gaze 

22  *     *     *     *      ,  and  tthen*  to  earth  will  he  look,  [upward, 
But  behold,   distress  and  gloom,  a  dark  veil  of  anguish, 

And  thick  darkness 

8.  Z9)t  3j4af  Tltng.  15 

(Probably  post-E.\ilic) 

9  >  I  °  T  N    the    former    time    He    brought    into    contempt    the    land    of 
A    Zebulun   and   the   land   of  Naphtali,  but  in  the  latter  *time*   He 
confers  honor  on  the  road  to  the  Sea,  the  other  side  of  the  Jordan, 
the  district  of  the  nations. t"  •  20 

2  The  people  who  walked  in  darkness  behold  a  great  light ; 
Those    who    dwell    in    the    land    of  deepest    gloom,   upon   them  a 

light  brightly  shines. 

3  Thou  multipliest  cexultation>,  thou  increasest  joy ; 

They  joy  before  thee  as  men  joy  in  harvest,  *and*  as  men    exult  25 

when  they  di\ide  spoil. 

4  For    ♦Israel's*   burdensome    yoke,  and    the   ccrossban    laid    on    his 

shoulder, 
The    rod     of    his    taskmaster,    thou    hast    broken   as    in    Midian's 

day  *of  battle*."  30 

5  For  every  boot  of  the  warrior  whose  tread  resounds,  and  ♦eveiy* 

war-cloak  drenched  with  blood, 
Will  be  burned  up,  ♦will  be+  the  prey  of  the  flames. 

6  For  to  us  a  child  is  born,  to  us  a  son  is  given, 

[And  dominion   rests  on   his  shoulder,  35 


9,  I*  "For  is  there  not  a  dark  veil  to  "the  land-  which  has  anguish? 42 


r.       '^ 
'J       < 


15  -^>*B|6S*- 1  Jetatag -ia*s^»««^  9i7-i7i6 


9  And  his  name  will  be  Counselor  of  Wonders, 
Mighty   Divinity,    Father  of  Spoil,    Prince  of  Peace  ;** 

1  (Increased  will    be:>  dominion,    and   to   peace   will   there   be   no   end 
Upon  the  throne  of  David,   and  throughout   his   kingdom, 
To  establish   and  to   support  it  by  justice  and  by  righteousness      5 
from  henceforth  and    for  ever.     The   zeal  of  Jhvh'  will   perform, 

•■thid 


17,1   TO!   ♦ 
2    1   -/   an 


Prophecy  6. 

^<xit  of  ^6fce  llingiome 


t.  ©eronfaff  of  ^jria  an5   36i:acf.' 
(Before  734  b.  c;   edited  late) 
Oracle    on    Damascus, 
the   day  is    at    hand    when*    Damascus    ceases    to    be    a  city. 


<for    ever>,    given    up    to    flocks,    which    shall    lie    down    there,    none  15 
3  making  them  afraid.      Ephraim  shall  lose  her  fortresses,  and  Damas- 
cus  her  sovereignty ;    and   the  remnant   of  Aram  —  like  the  glory   of 
the  Israelites  ^  shall  they  be,  says  Jhvh  Sabaoth. 

4  In  that  day  shall  the   glory   of  Jacob'  grow   dim. 

And  the  fatness   of  his   flesh  become   lean.  20 

5  It  shall  be  as  when  a   harvestman   gathers   standing  wheat, 

And  his   arms   reap   the  ears;  [Rephaim;^ 

Yea,     it    shall    be     as     when     he    gathers     ears     in    the    Vale    of 

6  And    gleanings    thereof   shall    be    left,    as    at    the    beating    of    an 
Two  or  three  berries   on  the   uppermost  branch,  [olive-tree,  25 
Four  or  five  on  ithe  boughs   of  the  fruit-tree^, 

Says  Jhvh  Sabaoth.* 

■ass^ 

9,7°  Sabaoth  17 ,  6  *  the  God  of  Israel 


17.7-14  — •*e#^!s- 1  36ata^ -sss^a-c-^—  16 

17,7  In   that   day   shall   mortality   look   to  its   Maker, 
And   its  eyes   have   regard  to   Israel's   Holy   One; 

8  It  shall   not   look  to  the  work   of  its  hands," 

And  what  its  ♦own*  fingers   have  made  it  shall  not   regard.^" 

9  In  that  day   shall  <thy  cities  be  deserted*  5 
Like  the   deserted  places  of  the  <Hivites  and  Amorites>,5' 

10  Because  thou   hast  forgotten  the  God   of  thy  safety, 

And  the   Rock   that   is  th)-  bulwark  thou   hast  not  remembered. 
Therefore,    though    thou    plantest    ♦little   gardens  with*    shoots   for 

Adonis,  10 
And  stockest  them   with   scions   ♦dedicated^   to  a  foreign   ♦god^,* 

11  ♦Even^  though  as  soon  as  thou  plantest  them,  thou  fencest 
And  early  bringest  thy  shoots  to  blossom,  [them  in, 
♦Therefore^    the    harvest    shall    [vanishi    in    a  day   of   sickness    and 

■desperate  paim.  15 

2.  (Tpreeervafion  of  ^uia^.J 

(723   B.C.) 

12  "\  ^rOE!    the   tumult  of  many  peoples, 

V  V      Like   the   tumult   of  the  seas  is  their  tumultuousness ! 
And  the    uproar  of  <[mighty]j  nations,  20 

Like   the   roaring   of  []  waters   is  their   roar!"* 

13  *   *   *   *  but   when   He  rebukes  them,  they   flee   afar  off 

And   are   driven    like   chaff  of  mountain   ♦threshing    floors*    before 
And  like  whirling   dust  before  the  tempest.  [the    wind, 

14  At  eventide,   behold  terror!  25 
Before  morning,   they  are  gone ! 

Be  this   the  portion  of  our  despoilers 
And  the   lot  of  our  plunderers! 


17,8  "the  altars  *and  the  Asherahs,  and  the  sun-pillars 

* 
9  'which  they  deserted  ♦fleeing*  before  the  Israelites;  it  will  be  a  desolation 

* 
12  'the  nations,  like  the  roaring  of  many  waters  is  their  roar 


3    ^ 

2     a 


3     ^ 


17  — »44^^»- 1  38<i<a6  <*?*fe**'*—  28,1-1,31 

Prophecv  7. 

§ai(  of  ^amarta. 

A  fragment.'     (Before  722  b.  c;  edited  late) 

28,1  AX /"OK!    '-lie  proud   coronet   of  the   drunkards    of   Ephraim 

V  V     And   tlie   fading  flower  of  her   beauteous   adornment,         5 
Whicli     crown     the     rich    valley    of    those    who    with    wine    are 

down-smitten !  ^ 

2  Behold,    Jhvh    has    +in    readiness*    one   who    is    strong   and    un- 
Like  a  storm  of  hail,   a   destroying    tempest;  [flinching, 
Like  a  storm  of  mighty,   overflowing  waters,  10 
He  casts   down   to  the  earth   with   violence. 

3  With   feet  shall   they  be  trampled   upon  — 

The  proud   crown   of  the   drimkards   of  Ephraim, 

4  And  the  fading  flower  of  her  beauteous  adornment, 

Which   crown   the   rich   valley;  15 

And  it  will   be  like  an   early  fig   before  the  fruit-season. 
Which   as   soon   as  a   man   sees   in   his    hand,   he  swallows. 

5  In   tliat  day  -will  Jhvh   Sabaoth   be  a   coronet  of  beauty 
And  a  diadem   of  adornment  to  the   remnant  of  His  people, 

6  And    a    spirit  of  judgment    to    him  who    sits   on  the   judgment-  20 

seat, 
And    of   might    <t0j   those    who    beat    back    assailants    from    the 

gates.  3 


Prophecv  8. 

J^^ainet  ^rcc-(n)ore^tp.  25 

A  fragment.'     (At  any  rate  before  722  B.  c.) 

**********  [\'e   have    had   pleasure, 

1,29  For    <ye'    will    be    ashamed    because   of   the    terebinths''    wherein 
And  will  blush   for  the   gardens  which   }'e  have  chosen ; 

30  For  ye  will  be   like  a  terebinth   whose    lea\'es  are  withered,  30 
And   like  a   garden  that  has   no   water; 

31  The  strong  man   will  become  tow,   and   his  work^  a  spark. 
And  they  will  both  burn  together,  and  none  will  quench  them. 


2,2-23,3  — »*K#®S(- 1  36(iia6 -SBr^a**—  i8 

QUceetanic  <Sppcn5t;i:.^ 

(Post-Exilic) 

,2     AND    in    the   latter    daj-s    the    mountain    of  Jhvh's    house  will  be 
l\  established    as    the    highest    of    the    mountains,    and    will    be 

3  exalted    above    the    hills, s    and    all     nations    will    stream    to    it;*   and  5 
many  peoples  will  set  forth,  and  say : 

Come   let   us  go   up  to  the   mountain  of  Jhvh, 
To  the  house   of  the  God  of  Jacob, 
That   He  may  instruct  us   out  of  His  precepts,' 
And  that  we  may  walk  in   His  paths ;  10 

For  from   Zion   goes   forth   instruction, 
And  the  word  of  Jhvh    from  Jerusalem. 
4  Then  will   He  judge  between  the  nations, 
And   give  decision   to   many  peoples ; 

And  they  will  beat  their  swords   into   mattocks,  15 

And  their  spears  into  pruning-knives;' 
Nation  will   not  lift  up  sword  against  nation, 
Neither  will   they  learn   war  any   more.^ 
************ 


Prophecy  9.  20 

fafe  of  Z^u.' 

(If  partly  Isaiah's,  about  725  B.C.     Edited  late) 

Oracle   on    Tyre. 

23,1  "\  ^TAIL,   ye  ships   of  Tarshish,    for  =your  fortress^    has  been 

VV  destroyed!"  25 

**************  [Phoenicia, 

2  cExtinct    arej   the    inhabitants    of    the    coast,    the    merchants    of 
Who    traversed    the    sea,    <whose    messengers)    were    on     many 

waters, 

3  cWhose)  harvest  was  the  wheat  of  Shihor,*  and  twhosei  revenue  30 

o  was  the  traffic  of  nations. 

23,  it)  'from  the  land  of  Chittim  it  has  become  known  to  them  5  *  the  Nile 


19  ^**^S»i- 1  3*i»*5  •«@3*3*« —  23,4-16 

23,4  Be    ashamed,    Phoenicia,    for    the    sea  ■"    says :     I    have    not    tra- 
vailed  nor  brought   forth, 
I  have  not  reared  youths,   *nor*   brought  up   virgins." 

6  Pass  ye  over  to  Tarshish ;"  wail,   \e   inhabitants   of  the  coast ! 

7  Fares    it    thus    with    *Tyret    your    joj-ous    one,   whose  origin    is  5 

of  ancient    days  ? 
Whose  feet  were   wont  to   carry  her  afar  off  to  sojourn  P^ 
S  Who  has  purposed    this    against   Tyre,   that   <crowned>    ^queen*,* 
Whose    merchants    were    princes,    o    the    most    honored    of   the 

earth?  10 
9  Jiivii    Sabaoth    has  purposed   it,   to   profane   +all+   majesty  [] 
To    bring    into    contempt  ([all    splendor]?,    +yea*,    all    the    most 

honored  of  the  earth. 

10  Pass    through    thy   land,    like    the    Nile ;   O   people   of  Tarshish, 

there  are   no    more^     ...  15 

11  His    hand    He  stretched  out  over   the   sea.   He   made   kingdoms 

tremble ; 
Jhvh  Sabaoth  gave  charge  to  destroy  the  fortresses   of  Canaan.* 

12  'Exult  no   more,  thou  violated  virgin,  Phoenicia,  [rest.' 
Arise,  pass  over  to  Chittim,  +but*  there,  too,  thou   shalt  ha\'e  nc^2o 

13  Behold    the    land    of    Chaldea  ;*"'     rthey    havd    appointed    ^Tyre* 

for  desert-beasts ; 
They  have  set  up  ctheir'  siege-towers ;  they  have  razed  the 
iThey  havd   made  it  a  ruin.  [palaces  thereof; 

14  Wail,   ye  ships   of  Tarshish,   your  fortress   is   destroyed.    ^^^^25 


■'I 


(|?oet-6xtftc  dtlppcniiy. 

N  that  day  Tyre  will  pass  into  oblivion  for  seventy  years,  during 
the  reign   of   one   line   of   kings  ;S  at    the    end    of   seventy    years 
Tyre  will  fare  like  the   Harlot  in  the  song  : 


16  Take  thy  lute,  and  go  about  the  city,  30 

Harlot,   forgotten  -now  by  men-! 
Play  thou  with  skill,  sing  many  a  ditty, 
To  win  remembrance  -then*. 


23 , 4  "  the  fortress  of  the  sea 
* 

5  *When  the  Egyptians  receive  the  tidings,  they  will  be  sore  pained  at  the  tidings 
concerning  Tyre.  12  '  He  said 

* 
13  '  this  is  the  people ;  it  was  not  Assyria  ♦which  destroyed  Tyre* 


23,17-14,32  ^-*4'^^*- X  38<»«<>? -sessfss*^-  20 

23,17  For  at  the  end  of  ,se\'enty  years  Jhvh  will  take  notice  of  Tyre, 
so  that  she  will  return  to  her  hire,  and  play  the  harlot  with  all 
18  kingdoms  of  the  world  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  her  gains 
and  her  hire  will  be  dedicated  to  Jhvh;  they  will  not  be  stored 
up  nor  hoarded,  but  to  those  who  dwell  in  the  presence  of  Jh\h  5 
will   her  gains  belong,  to  provide  abimdant  food  and  stately  apparel. 


Prophecv    10. 

SciU  of  t^^  fpmetince. 

(720  n.  c. ) 
14,2s   JN  the  year  king  Ahaz  died  came  this  avord):'  10 

29  Rejoice  not  in  all  th}-  borders,   Philistia,^ 
That  the  rod  which  smote  thee  is  broken ! 

For  out  of  the  serpent's  root  will  issue  a  basilisk, 
And  a  flying  ch-agon  will  be  its  fruit. ^ 

30  The  poor  will  feed  ton  my  meadows),  15 
And  the  needy  will   lie  down  securely; 

But  thy  <seed»  will  I  kill  with  famine. 
And  thy  remnant  will  <h  slay. 

31  Howl,   O  gate !   Cry,   O  city ! 

Faint  in  all  thy  borders,   Philistia!  /  20 

For  out  of  the  North  comes  the  smoke  +of  the  foe*, 
And   no  straggler  is  found   in   his   levies. 

32  And   what  will   (the   king  of  my  peoplo   answer 

clf)  messengers  of  a  nation   ^should  speak  to  hiniJ? 
That  Jhvh   has  founded   Zion,  25 

And  there  the  afflicted  of  His  people  find  refuge. 


21  — s^es^ess- 1  3^*'*5  •*^^**~~  10,5-13 

Prophecy   ii. 

(Fragments  of  more  than  one  date,  combined  and  edited  late) 

I.  ^^i.  IplAn  of  dtleejna  ani  tU  (pfan  cf  tU  Bovi  contraeteb. 

(7u  B.C.)  5 

10,5  "\  IS  rOE!    Assur,   the   rod  of  mine  anger 
V  V      And   the   .staff'   of  mine   indignation  ! 

6  Against  an  impious   nation  am   I   wont  to   send   him,= 

And  against  the   people   of  my  wrath   to   give   him  a  charge, 

To  take  spoil,   and  to   seize   booty,  10 

And  to  trample  them   like   mire   in   the   streets. 

7  But  he  —  not  so   does   he  plan. 

And  his   mind,   not  so   does   it   reckon ; 

For  extirpation  i.s   in   his    mind. 

And  to   cut  off  nations   not   a  few.  15 

8  For  he  says  : 

Are  not  my  captains,   all  of  them,   kings  ? 

9  Has  not   Caino  fared  like  Carchemish  ? 
And  Hamath   like  Arpad  ?3 

Or  Samaria   like   Damascus?  20 

10  As   my  hand   has   seized    upon  <those>  kingdoms,  —  though  their 

11  images   did   outnumber  those   of  Jeru.salem" — can   I    not,  as    I    have 
done    to    Samaria   and    her   idols,    do   likewise   to   Jerusalem  and   her 

12  images?*      Moreover,    when    the    Lord    shall    have    finished    all    His 
work   on   Mount   Zion   and    in    Jerusalem,  cHe^  will    punish   the   fruit  25 
of  the  stoutness  of   heart  of  the  king  of  Assyria,  and  the  vainglory 

13  of  the  upHfting  of  his  eyes.     For  he  has  said  : 

By .  the  strength  of  my  hand  have  I   done  it. 

And  by  my  wisdom,   for  I    have   discernment; 

And   I  cremovedi  the  bounds   of  the  peoples,  30 

And   their  treasures    I   plundered. 

And  ibroughti  down    ->;-     *     .*     * 

*      *     »     *     *     those   who  were   enthroned ; 


■^^smi-^ 


1.5  "wiiich  is  in  their  hand  -is  my  indignation. 
10  **  and  Samaria 


lo,  14-19  — t'-i'S^^iSi- 1 'ieaia^  ^m^^^ —  22 

10 ,  14  And   on   the   riches   of  the  peoples 
My   hand  has  seized  as   on   a   nest ; 
As  unguarded  eggs  are  carried  away, 
Have   I  carried  off  all   the  earth  ; 

There  was   none  that  fluttered  the  wing,  5 

Or  opened  the  beak,  and  chirped. 
15  Is  the  ax  to  vaunt  itself  over  him   who   hews  therewith  ? 
Or  is  the  saw  to  brag  over  him   who  saws  therewith  ? 
As   if  a  rod   should  sway  him   who  carries   it ! 
As  if  a  staff  should   Uft  up  him  who   is  not  —  wood  Is  jq 

14,24  Sworn   has  Jhvh    Sabaoth  : 

Surely,   as   I   have  planned,   so  shall   it  be. 
And  as   I   have  purposed,   it   shall   stand, 

25  To   break   in  pieces  Assur  in   my   land. 

And  to  tread   him   under  foot   upon   my  mountains."  ig 

26  This  is  the  purpose  formed  against  the  w'hole  earth. 
This  is  the   hand  stretched  out  over  all   nations. 

27  Jhvh   Sabaoth  has  purposed,  who  can  thwart   Him? 
His  is  the  outstretched  hand,  who  can  turn  it  back  ? 


2.  ^ubgment  upon  dReepm,  ani  t(e  Conecquencce  for  3"^*5*         20 

First  Description,   followed  by  a  Promise. *     (Mostly  late) 

10,  t6  'T^HEREFORE  will  the  Lord  Jhvh  Sabaoth  strike  Assur's 

A  fat  ^\•ith   a  wasting   disease. 

And    under    his    glory   a   burning    will    burn    like    the    burning 

of  fire ;  25 
17  The   Light   of   Israel  will  be   the  fire,   and   his    Holy  One    the 

flame, 
Which  kindles  and  devours  his  briars  and  thorns  in  a  day; 
iS  The  glory  of  his   forest  and   of  his  fruitful  gardens,  both  soul 

and  body,   will   *the   Lord*   consume,  30 
And  he  will  be  like  a  sick   man  who  pines  away; 
19  Yea,   the    remnant    of  his    forest-trees  will   be  so   small   that  a 

child  might  write   it   down. 


14,25''  "and    his    yoke    shall    be   removed    from    them,    and    his    bnrden    be    removed 
from   tluir  neck 


23  ^-»*e#6@S:- 1  38ata6 -*S?3€s*** —  10,20-34 

10,20  And  in  that  day  will  the    remnant   of   Israel,   ♦alU  those   of  the 

House    of    Jacob    who    have    escaped,    lean    no    more    on    him    who 

21  smote    them,   but    lean   in    faithfulness    on    Jhvh,   Israel's   Holy   One. 

22  The    remnant   will   turn,   the   remnant    of  Jacob,   to  the   Might}'  God. 
For    though    thy    people,   O   Israel,   were    as   the   sand  of  the  sea,  a  5 
»meret   remnant  thereof  would   turn ;    destruction   is   strictly  decreed, 

23  bringing  in  justice  like  a  flood.      For   a  strict    decree    of  destruction 
will  the   Lord,   Jhvh   Sabaoth,   execute  upon  all  the  earth.' 


3.   ^amc  ^u&jtct. 
Second  Description,  preceded  by  a  Promise. 8     (722  B.C.;  edited  late)  10 

24  '  I  "THEREFORE    thus    says    the    Lord    Jhvh    Sabaoth:    Fear    not, 

A      my    people    who     dwell    in     Zion,     because     of    Assur,     who 
smites    you    with    the    rod,    and    lifts    up    his     staff    upon     you     like 

25  Egypt    tof    old+.      For    yet    a    very    little    while,  and    tmyj   fury    has 

26  an    end,    and    mine    anger    *turns    itself*    to     his     destruction.       Jhvh  15 
Sabaoth    will    brandish    over    him    a    scourge,    as    at    the    smiting    of 
Midian    at    the   rock   of   Oreb;    and   His  rod  over  the  sea — He   will 

27  lift  it  up  as  against  Egypt  ♦of  old*.      In   that  day  — 

His  burden  will  be  removed  from  thy  shoulder, 

And   his  yoke  will   cpress  no  more^   upon  thy  neck.  20 

28 ;    tthe  foe*   has  fallen   upon  Aiath  ;         [baggage ; ' 

He  has  passed  through   Migron;    at  Michmash  he  lays  up  his 

29  He  goes  through  the  pass ;    in   Geba   he    halts    for    the    night ; 
Ramah  is  terror-stricken ;    Saul's  Gibeah  flees. 

30  Shriek,   people  of  Gallim!  25 
Listen,   Laishah !   <answer  her>,  Anathoth !                      [for  flight. 

31  Madmenah    flees ;    the  inhabitants  of  Gebim  gather  their  goods 

32  This    very   day    he   will   halt   in   Nob ;    his  +clenchedt   hand  he 

shakes 
Against  the  mount  of  the  people  of  Zion,  the  hill  of  Jerusalem.  30 

33  Behold,   the  Lord  Jhvh  Sabaoth  lops  with   a   crash   the  crown 

of  branches; 
The  high  of  stature  are  hewn  down,  and  the  lofty  are  brought 

34  The  thickets  of  the  forest  are  cut  down  with  the  ax,        [low; 
And  Lebanon's  grove  with  <itS)  mighty  +cedars*  is  felled.'"         35 


4.  ZU  3ieaf  Ittng. 

Second  Description   (probably  post-Exilic)." 

II ,  I  '  I  ^HERE   will   come   forth   a  shoot  from  the  stock  of  Jesse, '- 
■    X      And  a  scion   from   his    roots   will   bear   fruit. 
2 'The   spirit   of  Jh\'h    will    rest   on    him, '3  5 

A   spirit   of  wisdom   and    discernment, 
A  spirit  of  counsel   and   miL;ht, 
A   spirit   of  knowledge   and  fear   of  Jhvh.'" 

3  He  will  not  judge  according  to  that  which  his  eyes  have  seen, 
Nor    give    decision    according    to    that     which     his     ears     have  10 

4  But  with  righteousness  will  he  judge  the  helpless,  [heard, '■' 
And  with  equity  will  he  give  decision  for  the  cdestitute=  in  the 
And  he  will  smite  ttyrantsi  with  the  rod  of  his  mouth,  [land; 
j\iid   with  the  breath   of  his   lips  will   he  slay  the   ungodly ;'5 

5  And   righteousness  will  be   the   zone  about  his   loins,  15 
And  faithfulness  the  cgirdle^  about  his   reins. 

6  And  the  wolf  will   lodge  with   the    lamb,'* 
And   the   leopard   lie   down    with   the    kid ; 

And  the  calf  and  the  young   lion  <will   graze>  together, 

And  a  little   child  serve  as  their  leader.  20 

7  The  cow  and  the  bear  will   graze. 
Together  will  their  young  ones   lie   down, 
And  the   lion   will  eat  straw  like  the  ox  ; 

s  And  the  suckling  will  play  about  the  hole  of  the  asp. 
And    the    weaned    child     will    stretch    forth     his    hand    to    the  25 

basilisk's   tdeni. 
9  No  harm    nor  destruction  will   there   be  in   all    mj'    holy   moun- 

tain,'' for    the    land    is    becoinc    full    of  the    knowledge    of  Jhvh,   as 
wtiters   fill   the   sea. 

10  In    that    da)-,    the    Root    of  Jesse ''^  which    stands    as    a    banner  30 

to  the    peoples  —  to    him    will    the    nations    resort,    and    glorious   will 
be  his  habitation. '9 


II  7   'and  he  will  find  a  sweet  savor  in  the  fear  of  Jhvh 


25  ^«*e!j8»i- 1  36aia5 ->;®3#3*< —  11,11-12,2 


11,11    T 


5.   (Jle(urn  of  t6«  6rtfce. 

(Post-Exilic) 

N  that   day,   the   Lord  will   put   forth   His    hand,   the  second  time, 
to   recover   the  remnant  of  His  people,''"  the  captives  in  Assyria, 
and    Egypt,   and   Pathros,   and   Ethiopia,   and    Elam,  and  Shinar,  and  5 
Hamath,  and  the  countries  by  the  sea.'' 

[casts  of  Israel, 
12   He    will    lift    up    a   banner    to    the    nations,  and    gather    the    out- 
And     the     dispersed     of    Judah     will    He    collect    from    the    four 
13^  The  jealousy  of  Ephraim   will  cease,  [corners  of  the  earth ;  10 

And  the  adversaries  of  Judah  be  cut  off" 

14  They    will    swoop    down    on    the    slope    of  the   Philistines   in  the 

West,   together  will  they  spoil  the  Sons  of  the  East ; 
Edom    and    Moab    will    be    within    their    grasp,  and    the   Sons  of 

Amnion  will  be  their  subjects.  15 

15  Jhvh    will   <dry    up-  the    tongue    of  the   Egyptian    Sea,   <[**])   and 

shake   His  ^clenched*   hand  over  The   River  [],'^ 
And  strike  it  into  seven   'shallow*  streams,   and  make  men  cross 

it  dry-shod. 

16  So  a  highway    will    arise    for    the    remnant    of   His    people,  the  20 

captives    in    Assyria,  as  there    arose  *a.  highway*  for  Israel    when    it 
came  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt. 


6.    ^0afm  of  '^(lan^e^xvin^. 

(Latest  Addition) 

12,1    /\ND  thou  wilt  say  in  that  day:'^  [nie,  25 

l\~   I    thank    Thee,  Jhvh  !    for  Thou    hadst    been   wroth    with 
Thy  wrath  <turned  away>,  and  Thou   <didst  comfort*   me. 
2   Behold,   God,   my   Help,   will   I   trust  without  fear, 
Jah '  is  my  strength  and  my  song, 
It  is  He  who  has  helped  me.  3° 


11,13''  "Ephraim    will    not    be   jealous    of  Judah,    and    Judah   will   not    be  adverse  to 
Ephraim 
* 
15b  «with  the  'violence'  of  His  blast 
* 
12,2  'Jhvh 


i2,;,-ao,6  — ^-i«g^a<- 1  38ota5 -5S@*8a+< —  26 

12,3.4  Ye    will    draw    water   with   joy   from    the    founts    of   deliverance,  and 
will  say  in  that  day  : 

Thank  ye    Jhvh,   call   upon    His   Name, 
[Make  known  among  the  peoples    His   deeds. 
Declare  that   His   Name  is  exalted. 

5  Strike  the  harp  to  Jhvh,   for   He   has   wrought   in   majesty, 
Let  this   be   known   through  the  whole  earth  ! 

6  Give  a   resounding  cry,   O   Zion, 

For  great  in_the  midst^of  thee  is  the  Holy  One  of  IsraeJ. 


Prophecy   i  2.  10 

Captivity  of  <Bg5pi  anb  (Bf^iopia." 

(  Not  before  711   n.  C.) 

20 , 1    T  N    the  year  that   tThe*  Tartan   came  to  Ashdod,   sent  by  Sargon, 

3  A  king  of  Ass)'ria,  and  assaulted  Ashdod,  and  took  it,"  Jhvh  said: 
Just    as     my    Servant    Isaiah    has    gone    naked    and    barefoot    three  15 

4  years=  as  a  sign  and  a  warning  to  Egypt  and  Ethiopia,  so  will 
the  king  of  Assyria  lead  away  the  captives  of  Egypt  and  the 
exiles   of   Ethiopia ;    young   and    old,    naked    and    barefoot    and   their 

5  bodies  exposed.*     And   those   who   looked   to    Ethiopia,  and    boasted 

6  of  Egypt,  will   be  dismayed  and   disappointed.     And   the   inhabitants  20 
of  this    coasts  will    say    in    that   day.-    Truly,  if  such    is    the   plight 
of  those    to  whom  we    looked,    ♦and*   to  whom  we  fled    for  help    to 
obtain  safety  from  the  king  of  Assyria,   how  can  we  ourselves  thope 
to*  escape? 


20,2  "At  that  time   spoke  Jhvh  through    Isaiah   ben-Amoz,   saying:    Go,   and  loose 
the  sackcloth   from  off  thy  loins,    and  take  thy  shoe  from   off  thy  foot.     And 
he  did  so,  going  naked  and  barefoot. 
* 
4  ^the  shame  of  Egypt 


27  — »*ta|{aSS5- 1  'ieaia^ -m^^sH^ —  28,7-17 

Prophecy   13. 

(Central  Portion,  shortly  before  Sennacherib's  Invasion,  701  b.  c.) 

I.  ^aii  of  ^amavta. 

(See  Prophecy  7,  p.  17) 


2.  (pDarntnga  to  Jerueafetn, 

Suggested  by  the  earlier  prophecy  (703  b.  c). 

28,7'nr^HESE    also    *in    Jerusalem*    reel    with    wine,    and    stagger 
A      Priest  and  prophet  reel  with   mead,  [with    mead;' 

They  are  confused   by  wine,   they  stagger  because  of  mead;         10 
They  reel  during  ttheir*   visions,   they  totter  while   giving  judg- 
ment. 
8  All  tables  are  full  of  loathsome  disgorgements;  filth  everywhere. 
9  Whom,  -fsay  they+,    would   he  teach    knowledge  ?    and  to  whom 

explain   a   re\-clation  ?     To   weanlings    forsooth  just   parted    from   the  15 

10  breast  ?     For  *he    is    ever    gibbering*  :    (Jav    la-gav,    gav    la-gav ;    qav 

11  la-qav,  qav  la-qav;  here  a  word,  there  a  word.  *Yea*  through  a 
gibbering  people,  and   in   a  foreign    tongue,  will   He  tverily*  speak  to 

12  this  people !  -  who  said  to  them  :  This  is  the  +true*  rest,  grant 
rest    to  the    weary  ;    this   is   the  *true*  refreshment.      But   they   would  20 

13  not  hear.  So  to  them  the  word  of  Jhvh  shall  come  :  ^av  la-gav, 
9av  la-gav  ;  qav  la-qa\%  qav  la-qav ;  here  a  word,  there  a  word.  So 
that,  as  they  go,  they  may  stumble,  +and  fall*  backward,  and  be 
shattered,  be  ensnared,  and  be  taken. 

14  Therefore  hear  the  word  of  Jhvh,  ye  men  of  scorn  !  25 
Rulers   of  this  people  which   is  in   Jerusalem  !                          [death, 3 

15  Because  ye  have  said :  We  have  entered  into  a  covenant  with 
And  with   Sheol    have  we  made  a  compact; 

The    overwhelming    scourge,'*  when    it    passes,   will    not    reach    us. 
For   we  have  made    a    lie    our    refuge,   and    in   falsehood   have   we  3° 

16  Thus,  therefore,  says  the  Lord  Jhvh  :  [hidden  ourselves. 
Behold,  I  cfoundi  in  Zion  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  [firmly  planted;  .s 
A    precious     foundation-cornerstone:     he     who     believes     will    cbe 

17  And    I    will    make    justice   the    measuring-line,    and    righteousness 

the   plumb-w  eight ;  *  35 


28,iS-27  — »4^^!s- I  38aia5 -sgssfg**-! — 


28 


28  AikI    hail    will    sweep    away    the    refuge,"    and    waters    will    over- 
whelm   the    hiding-place  ; 

18  And    )-our    covenant    with    death    will    be    wiped    out,    and    your 

compact   with   Sheol   will   not   stand: 
When    the    whelming    scourge    passes    through,    by   it    will    ye    be  5 

beaten    down. 

19  As   often   as   it  passes   through,    it   will   take  }-ou   away. 

For   morning  by  morning   will    it   pass,   and   by  day  and  by   night. 
And  •then*  it   will  be  sheer  terror    to   understand   the    revelation.^" 

21  Jhvh    will   arise,    as    on    Mount    Perazim,    He  will    be  wroth,  as   in  10 
To    do    His   work — -alien    is    His    work!         [the   Plain   of  Gibeon," 
And   to   CcU-ry   out   His   task  —  strange   is   His   task  ! »  [tight, 

22  And    now,    behave    not    as    scorners,    le.st    your    bands'"    become 
For    a    strict    decree     of    destruction'    have    I    heard    from    Jiuii 

Sabaoth."  15 

3.  ^ropcrBtaf  (poem." 

(E.xilic,   or  post-Exilic) 

23  T ISTEN,   and   hear  ye  my  voice, 
-L/     Attend,   and  hear  ye  my  speech. 

24  Is  the  ploughman  never  done  with   his  ploughing,  20 

With   the  opening'   and   harrowing   of  ground? 

25  Docs   he   not,   when   its   surface  is  leveled. 

Scatter  fennel,   and   sow  cummin  broadcast, 
And   duly  set  wheat   there  and  barley. 

And  for  its   border  *plant*   spelt  ?  25 

25  It  is  cJhvh>  who   has   taught  these   right  courses. 
It  is   his   God   who   has  trained   him. 

27  We  do  not   thresh   fennel    with   sledges, 

Nor  are  cart-wheels    rolled  over  cummin. 
But   fennel   is   threshed   with    a   staff,  30 

And   cummin   »is  threshed*   with   a  rod. 


28  ,  17   'of  a  lie 
* 
20  "for   too   short   is   the   bed   for   one   to  stretrh   himself   out   at    length,    and    too 
narrow  the  coverlet  to  wrap  oneself  in  it 

22  nipon  the  whole  earth  'the  Lord 

24  'in  order  to  sow 


29  -^!-»«3Ss@55- 1  38'*ta3 -«>S3#5*** —  28,28-29,8 

28 ,  28  Do  we  ever  crush  bread-corn  to   pieces  ? 

Nay,   the  threshing   goes   not  on   for  ever, 
But  when   +over  it*    cart-wheels   are   driven. 
Or  csledgesj,   our  care  is   never  to  crush   it. 
29  This  also  from  Jhvh"  proceeds: 

Wonderful   counsel,    great   wisdom    has    He. 


4.  Strange  ^aU  of  cSnaf. 

(703    B.  C.  ) 

29,i"\^7"OE!    cArial,   Ariah,"  city  against  which   David  encamped! 

V  V      Add   year  to    year;    let   cAriab    feasts    *againt    run     their  10 
«******■»*»****  [course  ;'3 

************** 

2  Then  will   I   distress   cAriah,   so   that  there  will  be  moaning  and 
And   it   will   become  to   me  a  true  cAriab:'*  [bemoaning, 

3  I   will  encamp   like  <David>  against  thee,''  [thee,  15 
And  close  thee  in  with  intrenchments,   and  set    up   forts   against 

4  Then   being   humbled,   thou   wilt   speak   from   the   ground. 
And   from   the   dust   will   thy   speech   come   submissiveh'." 

5  Then    will    the    horde    of   thine    enemies    become     as    fine    dust, 
and  the  horde  of  the  tj'rants   like  flitting  chaff"'  20 

6  And    then  —  suddenly,    full    suddenly,    ♦AriaU    will    receive    punish- 

ment from  Jhvh  Sabaoth, 

With     thunder,    and    with    earthquake,    and    a    great    noise,    with 

whirlwind,   and  tempest,  and   flame  of  devouring  fire. 

7  Like  a  dream,   a  vision  of  the    night,   will  it  be  with   the  hordes  25 
of    all    the    nations    that    fight    against   cAriab   and    all   .    .    .    and    its 

8  strongholds?,   and  of  those  who  distress  it.      Yea,  as  when  a  hungry 
man  dreams    he    is    eating,    but    awakes   with    his    appetite    keen ;    or 
when   a    thirsty  man    dreams    he    is    drinking,  but   awakes  faint  from 
his    unquenched    thirst  ;    so   will    it    be    with    the    hordes    of    all    the  30 
nations   that    fight  against  Mount  Zion. 


28,  29  "Sabaoth 

29,4  "and   thy  voice  shall    be   Uke   that  of  a  ghost  from   the  ground,  and   from    the 
dust  thy  speech  shall  chirp 


5.  Q0ftnJnC66  of  tf)t  (Rufcve. 

(703    B.C.) 

29,9  OTUPEFY  yourselves,   and   be   .stupid!    blind   yourselves,   and 
v_/   be  blind  !  [mead.'^ 

<Be     drunken',     but    not    with    wine ;     <stagger>,    but    not    with  5 
10  For  Jhvh   has  poured   out   upon  you   a  spirit   of  deep  .sleep. 
And   has  closed  your  eyes,"   and  covered  your   heads," 

11  so     that    the     prophecy     of    all     these     things     is     become    to    \'ou 
like    the    words    of  a    sealed   book,   which   if  one   delivers    to  a  man 

12  who  is   a  scholar,   saying:    Pray  read  this,   he    says :    I   cannot,   for  it  10 
is  sealed ;   and  should  it  be  delivered  to  one  w4io  is  no  scholar  with 
the  words:   Pray  read  this,    he  says:  I  am   no  scholar. 


6.   (punteCmcnf  of  ;§'onnaft6m. 

(703    B.C.) 


13     A^^D    Jhvh    .said: 
1\.  mouth,    and    wi( 


Because    this    people    draw    near'   with     their  15 
lith    their    lips    honor    me,    but    their    heart    they 
keep    far    from    me,  and    their    fear   of  me   is   but    a  precept  of  men, 
learned   by   rote : 

[wonderful  and  astonishing 
14  Therefore,    behold,    I    will     deal    with     it    again'    in    a    fashion    so  20 
That    the    wisdom    of  their    wise    men    will    be    lost,   and    the  dis- 
cernment of  their  discerning   ones   will   disappear. 


7.  Z?>i  63ppftan  oRfftancc. 

First  Fragment  (  703  B.  c.  ).  25 

[purpose,'' 

15  T  11  rOE     unto    those    who     from     Jhvh     hide     deeply     their 

V  V      So  that   their  work   is   done   in   the   dark,      *     *     « 

And  who  say  :    Who  sees   us,   and   who   knows   of  us  ? 

4S-****************  30 


29,10  "♦?■.  e.*  the  [srophets  *♦/.  <■.♦  the  seers 

14  'with  this  people 


31  — »*s=geas- 1  38ata5 -iS^^ceM-s—  29,16-30,2 

8.  ^er&ife  MppvoacUn^  (Regeneration.     dRgatnat  ©ouBtere."? 

(Post-Exilic) 

29,16   TD^RVERSE    that    ye    are!     Is    the    potter    no    better    than    clay? 
X       Shall  the  thing  made  say  of  its   maker:    He  has  not  made   me 
aright?     A  thing  fashioned  say  of  its   fashioner:    He   has   no   under-  5 
17  standing?     Surely,  yet  a  very  little   while, 

And  Lebanon  will  be  turned  into  fruitful  gardens, 
And  fruitful   gardens   be   accounted  a  forest. ^° 

18  In  that  day  •••even*    the   deaf  will   hear  the   words   of  a   book. 
And    out  of    gloom    and    darkness    the    eyes    of  the    blind    will  10 

19  The  humble  will   win   fresh  joy  in  Jhvh,  [-see; 
And  the  poorest  exult   in   Israel's    Holy  One  ;                [no   more, 

20  For   tyrants   will    have    +then»    disappeared,   the    scorner   will    be 
And  all  who  were  zealous   for   iniquity  will    have   been   cut   off, 

21  Who    made    men  appear  sinners    by  words,    and   laid  snares   for  15 

the  umpire  in  the   gate, 
And  turned  away  the  just  by  a  pretext.^' 

22  Thus,   therefore,   says   Jhvh,   cthe    God    of  the    House    of  Jacob, 

who  freed  Abraham  :'"' 
Jacob  will   not  thenceforth  be   shamed,  nor  will   his   face  thence-  20 

forth   turn   pale; 

23  For  when  he"    sees  the   work   of   my   hands °3    in    the    midst    of 

him,   they   shall   count   my   Name   holy. 
They    will    count    the    Holy    One    of  Jacob    holy,    and    hold    in 

dread   the   God  of  Israel,  25 

24  Those    who    erred    in    spirit    will    attain    discernment,    and    the 

murmurers   receive  instruction. 


9.  ZU  Sgjpttan  <Hfftance.=^t 

Second  Fragment  (703  b.  c). 

30,i"\^7'OE  to  the   unruly  sons!    says  Jhvh,  30 

V  V   Carr^'ing  out  a   purpose  which   is   not   mine, 
And  concluding  a  treaty   contrary  to   my  spirit, 
Thus  adding   sin  to   sin ;  [counsel, 

2  Who    set    forth    on    the    way    to    Egypt,    without    asking    my 


29,23  ■■•;'.  f.»  his  children 


30,3-io  — »*«^^C»- I  38<»'o3  •*SS»eK-«—  32 

30  To   flee    to   tlie    shelter    of   Pharaoh,    and   to   seek  protection   in 

the  shadow  of  Egj'pt. 

3  The  shelter"  will  turn  to  your  shame,  and  the  refuge*  to  your 

confusion. 

4  For    thouyii     his    ^vassals,  the*    princes    are    in    Zoan,    and    his  5 

messengers  go  as  far  as   Hanes,^' 

5  None  wins  aught  but  disappointment   from  a   people  which    can 

avail   nothing, 
cFrom   a  people;  which   brings  no  help,'  but  disappointment  and 

also  disgrace.  10 

10.  ^ame  ^uBject. 

Third  Prophecy  (703  B.C.). 

6  Oracle  on  the   Beasts  of  the  South -land. 

**'******■»***»**** 
******************  15 

*     *     *     through  a   land   of  distress  and   difficulty,     [dragon,'^* 
Of    the    <roaring>     lion    and     lioness,    the    viper    and    the    fl>'ing 
They   carry   their  wealth   upon    the   backs   of   young   asses,    and 
upon  the   humps   of  camels  their  treasures, 
7^  To    a    people    that    can    profit    no    one,*    whose     help    is    ^but*  20 

vapor  and  emptiness.'^' 


11.  3wpen6tng  (Ruin  of  t{>i  ^tatt. 

(703    B.C.) 


NOW  go  in,   write  it 
That   it   mav   serve 


it  down,'  and   on  a  scroll  inscribe   it, 
/e   in   days   to   come  las   a  testimon\-:  for  25 
9  For  it  is  a   rebellious  people,   lying  sons,  [e\er. 

Sons  who  will  not  hear  the  direction  of  Jhvh  ; 
10  W' ho  say  to  the  seers :  See  not !  and  to  the  prophets :   Prophesy 

not  to  us  true  things! 
Speak   to  us  smooth  things,   prophesy  delusions  !  3° 

30,3  "of  Pharaoh  "in  the  shadow  of  Egypt 

5  'and  no  profit 

7  ''Egypt  'therefore  do  I  name  her  -Egypt*,   Rahab  the  quelled  «nionster» 

* 

8  '  on  a  tablet  in  their  company 


33  — »-l«g^Si- 1  380'o5 -^SH^^** —  30,11-20 

30,11  Turn  from  the  way,   go  aside  from  the  path, 
Trouble  us  no  more  with   Israel's   Holy  One! 

12  Thus,  therefore,  says  Israel's   Holy  One :    Because  ye  reject  this 

13  Word,  and  trust  in   <wile>  and  policy,  and   rely  thereon,  therefore  this 
guilty  act  shall    be  to  \"ou   like   a    bulge    caused    by    a    breach    in    a  5 
lofty  wall   ready  to   fall  ♦at  an  instant*,  and  to  which   breaking  comes 

14  suddenly,  full  suddenly.  Yea,  it  breaks,  as  one  dashes  an  earthen 
pitcher  to  pieces,  shattering  it  ruthlessly,  so  that,  among  its  shattered 
pieces,    not    a    sherd    is    found    wherewith    to    take    up    fire   from    the 

15  hearth,   or  to  draw  water  from   the  cistern.      For  thus   had  the   Lord  10 
Jhvh,   Israel's  Holy  One,  said  : 

By   turning  and   remaining  quiet  ye  would   have  been   delivered, 
In   quietness   and  *pious+  trust  ye  would  have  found  your  *truet 

strength ; 

16  But  ye  refused,  and  said :  15 

"No,   but  on   horses   will   we  fly."      Therefore   shall   ye  flee! 
"And  on  that  which    runs  swift  will  we   ride."     Therefore   shall 

your  pursuers   be   swift ! 
17  °Ye  shall  flee  at  a  war-cry  of  five,  till  your  remnant  is  become 
Like  a  pole  on   the   top   of  a   mountain,  and   like  a  signal  on  a  20 

hill. 

12.  I^appj  Coneequencea  of  '^evAcVe  (Regeneration.^^ 

(Post-E.xilic) 

iS  Therefore  Jhvh  longs  to  be   gracious  to  you,  25 

Therefore   He  lifts   Himself  up  to  show   mercy  to  you ; 
For  Jhvh  is  a  God  of  justice; 
Happy  are  all  who  long   for  Him ! 

19  For,    O    ye   people    in   Zion,    twho  dwelb   in  Jerusalem,  ye  shall 

weep  no  more;  30 
He  will  be  gracious  to  you   at  the  tfirst*  sound  of  your  crying; 
so  that  when    He   has   heard   it,   He  has  ^already  answered  you. 

20  And    though    the    Lord    give    thee    ♦O    Israel*    bread    in     short 

measure   and  water   in  scant  allowance, 
Yet  will  not  th)-  Teacher^'  any  more  withdraw  Himself,  35 

But  thine  eyes  will  constantly  see  thy  Teacher, 

■fms^^^ 

30,  17a  "each  thousand  at  the  war-cn'  of  one 


30.21-30  — *-*«?«s:<:- 1  3oaia6 -sB^fsa*-* —  34 

30,21  Thine  ears   will   hear  the  call  behind   thee,  [walk   ye    in   it! 

When   ye  swerve   to  the  right  or  to  the  left :   This   is   the  way  ! 

22  Then    wilt   thou   defile   thy   car\-ed   statues   overlaid    with   silver, 
And  thy   molten  images  covered  with   gold ; 

Ye   will    scatter    them    as    a   thing    that    is    loathsome ;    Begone !  5 

wilt  thou   sa\-  to  them.^° 

23  And    He    will    give    rain    for    thy    seed,    wherewith    thou    sowest 

the    ground. 
And    thy    wheat,    the    produce   of   thy    ground,    will    be   rich   and 

nourishing.  10 
In   that  day,   thy   cattle   will   feed   in   a   broad   pasture; 

24  And  the   oxen  and  the  young  asses  that  till   the  ground  — 
Salted  provender   will  they   eat,  which   has  been    winnowed  with 

25  And  there  will  be  on  every   lofty   mountain,      [shovel  and   fork. 
And  on  every  high  hill,   streams   running  with   water,  15 
In  the  day  of  the  great  slaughter, 3^   when   the   towers  3'  fall. 

26  And  the  light  of  the   moon   will   be  as  the   light  of  the  sun, 
And  the   light  of  the  sun   will   be  sevenfold," 

In   the  day  that  Jhvh   binds   up  the  fracture   of  His  people, 

And   heals  the  bruise  with   which  they   have  been   wounded.         20 


13.  ^6«  ^orb'o  £om6af  mtfi  dRoepm." 

(Post-Exilic) 

27  TOEHOLD,     the     Name    of     Jiivh3+    comes     from     far   <with 
-L)   burning  anger  and  heavy,   rising  clouds, 

With   lips   full  of  rage,   and  a  tongue   like  de\-ouring  fire,  25 

2.8  And    breath    like    an    overflowing    torrent,    which    reaches    to    a 

man's  neck), 35 

To  toss  nations  with  the  fan   of   destruction,   while  between   the 

jaws  of  peoples  is  a  bridle  that  leads  astray. 

29  From  you  ♦meantime*  a   song  will  rise,  as  at  night  when  a  feast  30 

is   opened, 3^ 

And  joy  of  heart,   like  his  who  sets  forth  to  the  flute  to  go  to 

the  mountain   of  Jhvh,  to  the   Rock  of  Israel. 

30  And  Jhvh    will    cause   the  crash   of  His   voice  to    be   heard,   antl 

the  descent  of   His  arm   to   be  seen,  55 


30,26    "as  the  light  of  seven  days 


35  — ix^-B^esBs- 1  38iito§  «a»e(3*.<—  30,31-31,4 

30  In    furious    anger    and    the    flame    of  devouring    fire,    storm    and 

rain,  and   hail-stones. 

31  Assur  will  be  terror-stricken  at  the  voice  of  Jhvh,   who  csmites^ 

32  with    the    rod).      Wherever    the    appointed    staff   passes,    which    JiivH 
causes  to  light   upon    him,  it   will   be   to    the    sound    of  timbrels   and  5 
lutes ;     and   with   onsets   of  vehement    smiting  will   he   assail    them.^' 

[wide ; 

33  A    pyre    has    been    made    ready    beforehand,"    made    deep    and 

The  pile  thereof  is   kindled   wood   in  abundance;    Jhvh's  breath, 

_  like  a  stream  of  brimstone,   fires  it.3^  10 


14.  Z^i.  Sgjpttan  JRfftance. 

Fourth  Fragment  (702  b.  c. ). 

3i,i"\^7'OE   unto  those  who   go   down   to   Egypt  for  help, 

V  V      And  who    rely    on    horses,    and  []   on  chariots    because 

they  are  many,  15 
And   t[who    trustjj    in     horsemen     because    they    are    in     great 

number, 
But  look  not  to  Israel's  Holy  One,   nor  consult  Jhvh  ! 

2  But    He  also  is    wise,    and  brings  evil    to  pass,    and    His    words 

He  has  not  recalled,  20 
He  will    arise    against  the    house   of  evil-doers,  and    against   the 

help  of  the  workers  of  wickedness. 

3  Yea,    the    Egyptians    are    men   and    not    God;    their    horses    are 

flesh  and  not  spirit; 
Jhvh    will    stretch    out    His    hand,   so   that   the   helper   stumbles,  25 

and  he  falls  who  is  helped. 3? 
They  all  shall  come  to  an   end  together. 


15.  Z^t  Bovi'a  (protection  of  Jcrueafem. 

A  Fragment  (702  b.  c). 

4  '  I  ^HUS  has  Jhvh  said  to  me:  30 

A    As  a  lion,   or  as  a  young   lion,    growls  over   his   prey. 
When  against  him  the  band  of  shepherds  is  summoned. 
But  at   their   shouting   is  not   dismayed,  and    at   their   noise    not 

daunted, 


30,33  "Is  this  also  prepared  for  the   '  King?' 


31,5-32.6  — >+!*;;'.•>  1  3'">'l5 -SSafc-^H^  36 

31  SO   will    Jin'H   Sah.ioth    come   down  to  figlit  against  Mount  Zion   and 
against   thi.-   liiU   tliL-rcof. 

5  Like   fluttering    birds,   so   will    Jhvh   Sabaoth    shelter    Jerusalem, 
Sheltering  and  delivering,   sparing  and  rescuing  *her«. 

6  Return    ye    to    Him,    against    whom    they    went    deep    in    trans-  5 

7  gression,  ye  Sons  of  Israel.  For  in  that  day  they  will  reject  every 
one  his  idols  of  silver  and  his  idols  of  gold,  which  <their>  own 
iguilty    hands  have  made  tfor  thenu. 

************* 

8  Assur  will  fall   by  the   sword   of  no  mortal,  10 
The  sword  of  no  earth-born   man   will   devour  him : 

He     will    betake     himself    to    flight    from    the    sword,    and    his 
young  warriors   will  be  put  to  task-work ; 

9  His    rock    will    pass    by    through    terror,    and    his    captains    flee 

affrighted   from   the  <refuge>;  15 
Says  Jhvh,  who  has  a  fire  in  Zion  and  a  furnace  in  Jerusalem. t" 

Appendix   i. 
16.  (piceotanic  jElge  ©eecriBcb.^' 

(Post-Exilic) 

32,1  T3KHOLD,   a  king  will   reign   righteously,  20 

XJ   And  princes   rule  justly. 

2  Each   tof  them*  will  be  like   a  hiding-place  from  the  wind, 
+Like'  a  covert  from  the   rain-.storm     *      *, 

Like  water-courses  in  a  parched  land, 

Like  the  shadow  of  a  high   rock   in  a  thirsty  land.  25 

3  The  eyes  of  those  who  see  will  not  be  closed, 
The  ears  of  those  who   hear  will  hearken ; 

4  The  mind  of  the   rash   will  judge  correctly, 

The  tongue  of  stammerers  will  hasten   to  speak  distinctly. 

5  No  more  will  the  fool  be  called   noble,  30 
Nor  the  knave  any  more  be  named  gentle*^ 

6  For  the  fool  speaks  foil)-,  : 
And    his  heart  <meditates>  wickedness, 
Practicing  impiety, 

And   uttering  error  concerning  Jhvh,  35 

Leaving  the  hungry  unsatisfied, 
And   unto  the  thirsty   refusing   drink. 


37  ^-»*^^iSs- 1  36aio6  •^SM^<3*^—  32,7-i6 

33,7  And  the   knave  —  his   knaveries   are   evil, 
Such  a  one   devises    tricks 
To  ruin  the  humble  with   lying  words, 
Even  when  the  plea  of  the  poor  is  right; 
8  But  the  noble  devises   noble  things, 
And   in   noble  things  will   he  persist. 


Appendix  2. 
17.  (SJarmng  to  t^i  fine  Baike  of  ^erueafetn.^ 

(Post-E.\ilic) 

9  "\  /"E  women  who  are  at  ease!    arise  and  hear  my  voice!  lo 

X      Ye  self-flattering  daughters !    give   ear   to    my  speech ! 
lo  *Add*    some    days    to    a    year,*'*    and    ye    will    shudder,    ye   self- 
flatterers. 
For   the  vintage  will  fail,   the   gathering  of  fruit  will   not   come. 
I r  Tremble,   ye  who  are   at   ease!    shudder,   ye    self-flatterers!  15 

Strip    you !    make    you    bare !    and    about    the    loins    gird   ♦sack- 

12  They  smite   upon   the  breast  [cloth*! 
For  the  pleasant  fields,  for   the  fruitful  vine! 

13  Over  the   land  of  my  people  thorns   and  briars   shoot   up, 

Yea,   on  all  houses  of  mirth   in   the  joyous  town.  20 

14  For  the  palaces  are  forsaken,  the  city  with  its  stir  is  desolate, 
Ophelts  and  the  watch-tower   serve   as  caves   for  ever,** 

The  joy  of  wild  asses,   the  pasture  of  flocks. 

Appendlx   3. 
18.  (Rcgcnctrafton  of  !}6vatt'*^  25 

(Post-Exilic) 

15  *****     "there  will  be  poured  out 
A  spirit  upon   us  from  the  ^heavenly*   height. 

And   the   wild    pasture-land   will    become   a   land   of  gardens, 
And  the   land   of  fruitful  trees  will  be  accounted  a  forest;''^      30 

16  Justice  will  inhabit  the  wild  pasture-land, 

And   righteousness  dwell  in  the  land  of  gardens, 


32,  15  'until  'there  be* 


32 .  17-33 .  S^"  — i>*egessi- 1  'ieaiai  -s:--*>fes4.^—  38 

32,17  And   tlie   fruit   of  rigliteousness   will   be   peace, 

And  assurance  for  ever  the   produce  of"  cjustice  ;** 

18  Yea,   my  people  will   inhabit  the  mansion   of  peace, 
Sure  dwellings   +and*  easeful   resting-places.' 

20  Happy  are  ye  who  sow  beside  all  waters, 

Who  check  not  the  feet  of  the  ox   and  the  ass!'»s 


Appendix  4. 
19.  (pva^iv  of  ©pprC66Cb  ^0vad.^° 

(Post-Exilic) 

33.iAXrOE!    Thou  spoiler — }-et  never  despoiled,  10 

V  V      Thou   robber,   whom   none  has   robbed ! 
When   thou   hast  ceased  to   spoil,    thou   wilt  be   despoiled ; 
When  thou   hast  cmade  an  end  of  robbing,  thou  wilt  be   robbed. 

2  Jnvii !    be   gracious  to   us;    for   Thee  we  wait. 

*«**■)«■*******#*  15 

Be   Thou  -our--  arm  every   morning. 
Our  deliverance   in   time  of  distress. 

3  At  the  sound  of  a  tumult  peoples    flee. 

At  the   uplifting  of  thyself  nations  are  scattered; 

4  <)  Booty  is  gathered  up  as  by  +swarming*  locusts,  20 
Ravenously  as   grasshoppers  +the  foe*  rushes   upon   it. 

5  In\'ioIable  is  Jhvh,   for   He  dwells  on   high, 

He  has   filled   Zion   with  justice   and   righteousness.'' 

6  With  a  wealth   of  deli\'erance,   with  wisdom   and   knowledge ; 

The  fear  of  Jhvh  —  that   is   its  treasure.  25 

7  Behold,   ttlie   Arielsi  cry   without, 5' 

The  ambassadors  of  peace  weep  bitter!)- ; 

32,17  "righteousness  *and 

* 
19  'and   it   will    hail,    when    the   forest   comes   down,    and   the   city   will   be    low   in 
lowliness 
* 
33 , 6  "  steadfast  fortunes  shalt  thou  have. 

Sa  '  the  highways  are  desolate ;    the  wayfaring  man  ceases 


33,s''He   has  broken   the   covenant,   despises   cities, 
Of  men   makes   no  account. 

9    The  eartii   mourns,   it   languishes, 
Lebanon  is   shamed,   it  is  dried    up; 

Sharon  has  become  Hke  the  Arabah,^^  5 

Bashan  and   Carmel'-  shake   off  *their   leaves*. 

10  Now    will   I   arise,   says  Jhvh, 

Now  will   I   exalt,   now   uplift,   myself 

11  Ye  conceive  hay,   ye   will   bring  forth    stubble, 

Your  own   +angr>^*   breath   is  a  fire  which   will   devour  you;  lo 

12  Nations   will  become   ^as   if*   burned   to   lime. 
Like  thorns   cut  off,   which  are   kindled   with    fire. 

13  The   far-off  <hear>   what   I   have  done. 

And  the   near  <acknowledge>   ni)-    heroic   might. 

14  Terror-stricken   in   Zion   are  the  sinners,  15 
Shuddering  seizes   the   impious ; 

Who  can   sojourn,    ♦they  think*,    with   devouring    fire? 
Who   can   sojourn   with   burnings  everlasting? 53 

15  He   who  walks   in    righteousness,  and  speaks   uprightness, — ' 

16  He   will  abide  on   ♦impregnable*   heights ;  20 
Fastnesses  of  rocks   will   be   his    stronghold. 

His   bread  is   supplied,   his   waters   never  drj'   up. 

17  The   king  in   his   beauty   will   thine   eyes   behold, s-* 
They   will   see  a  land   stretching   afar;55 

iS    Thy  mind  will   +thus*  muse  on   the  terror  *that  is   past* :  25 

Where   is   he  who   counted?"    where    is   he   who   weighed? 

Where  is   []****«? 
19    The  insolent  people   wilt  thou   see  no   more. 
The  people   of  obscure,    unintelligible   speech, 
Gibbering  in  a  meaningless  tongue.  ,0 


«3gSK=#«- 


33^I5  "he  who   rejects   the  gain  of  oppressions,   whose  hand  refuses  to  hold  a  bribe, 

who  stops   his   ears   from   hearing  of  bloodshed,   and  wiio  closes  his  eyes  from 

looking  on  evil. 

* 
18  * '[he  who  counted  the  towers]- 


33.20-22,18  ^^-i^e£5*- 1  38<ita8  •«*3#M»« —  40 

33,20   "Thine  eyes  will   see  Jerusalem 

As  an  easeful  mansion,   a  tent  never  removed. 
Whose  pegs  are  never  drawn   out, 
And   whereof  no   cord   ever   breaks ; 

21  There  have  we  dhe   river  of  JfiVH  5 
In  place  of  broad   ^encompassing-   streams  j^* 

Thereon  no  fleet  with  oars  can  sail. 
Nor  can  stately   ships  traverse   it. 

22  Jhvh   is  our  Judge! 

Jhvh   is   our   Marshal !  10 

Jhvh  is  our  King! 
He   will   deliver   us  I 

23''  ''Then   will   spoil   in   abundance   be   divided,^' 

♦  Even*   the   lame   will   seize  on  a  prey. 

24    Then   will   no  inhabitant   saj' :    I    am   sick  f^  [forgiven.  15 

•  For*    the    people   who    dwell    therein   have    had   their  iniquity 


Prophecv   14. 

<S  (ISifp  (pofiftctan  ©cnounccft. 

(704-701  B.  c.     Edited  late) 
22, IS*"  Against  Shebna,"  the  Governor  of  the  Palace.  20 

15"  '  1  ^HUS    says    the    Lord,    Jhvh    Sabaoth :     Go    in    to    this    prefect, 

16  A  'and  say* :  What  tright*  hast  thou  here,  and  what  *kin*  hast 
thou  here,  that  thou  hast  hewed  thyself  out  a  sepulchre  here  ? 
thou  that  hewest  out   thy   sepulchre   on   high,   cutting  thyself  out  in 

17  the    rock   a    habitation !     Behold,   Jhvh    will    hurl,   will   hurl  thee,   lO  25 

18  mighty  mani,  and  .  .  .  ;  He  will  roll,  will  roll  thee  together,  •and 
toss  thee*  like  a  ball  into  a  wide-stretching  land ;    thither  shalt  thou 


33,20  "  behold  Zion,   city  of  our  festival  assembly! 
* 
23a  *  thy   tackliiigs   hang    loose ;    they    do   not    keep   firm   the   stand   of  their  mast, 
nor   keep   the   sail   spread   out 


41  -^>*e|M*- 1  3bi'*^ -^S*^***^  33,19-18,2 

22  go  to  die,  and  thither  will  go  thy  splendid  chariots,  thou  disgrace 
of  the  house  of  thy  lord ! ' 

First  Addition. 

19  And    I    will    thrust    thee    from    thy  post,  and    from    thy    station 

20  will  <I.  pull    thee    down.       Moreover,    in    that    day,    I    will    call    my  5 

21  servant  Eliakim  ben-Hilkiah,  and  I  will  clothe  him  with  thy  robe, 
and  thy  sash  will  I  bind  about  him,  and  thy  authority  will  I  give 
into    his    hand,    that    he     may    be    a    father    to    the    inhabitants     of 

22  Jerusalem  and  to  the  House  of  Judah ;  and  I  will  lay  the  ke)'  of 
the    House    of   David    upon    his    shoulder,-   so   that   when   he   opens,  10 

23  none  shall  shut,  and  when  he  shuts,  none  shall  open.  I  will  drive 
him  in  like  a  nail  +fastened+  in  a  firm  place,  and  he  will  be  a 
throne  of  honor  to  his  family. 

Second  Addition. 

24  The  whole  mass  of   his    family    will    hang    upon    him,   those    of  15 
high  and  those  of  low  degree,  +aye,t  all  vessels  of  the   inferior  class, 

25  be  they  bowls  or  be  they  pitchers.  In  that  day,  says  Jhvh 
Sabaoth,  the  nail  that  is  struck  into  a  firm  place  will  give  way; 
it  will  be  cut  down  and  fall,  and  the  burden  *hung*  upon  it  will 
come  to   ruin.     Jhvh   has  spoken  !  20 


"■:A 


Prophecy  15. 
®C0(ruc(iott  of  tU  (Seegrian  ilrm^. 

An  Address  to  Ethiopia '  (702  B.C.). 

H,   land   of  the  shrill  buzzing  of  +insects'+   wings, ^'' 
Which    sends    ambassadors    on    the    sea,    and    in    skiffs    of  25 

reed  on  the  face  of  the  water! 3 
Depart,   ye    fleet    messengers,    to   a    nation    tall    and    of  polished 

skin. 
To  a  people  dreaded  far  and  wide,  a  nation  of  sinewy  strength, 
Whose  land  rivers  cut  through.  [and  victorious,  30 


18 ,  I    '  which  is  beyond  the  rivers  of  Cush 


l8,3-I,2  — »*«JeS3fs- 1  3''aia6 -«S59|s** —  42 

18,3  All  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world  and  dwellers  on   the  earth, 

When    a    signal    is    raised    on    the    mountains,   behold !    when    a 

horn  is  sounded,   hearken  !■* 

4  Thus   has  Jh\"h   said  to   me:   I   will    liold    mi.'   still,  and   look    on 

in  my  place,  5 
♦As  stilK   as  the    clear    heat    in    sunshine,   as    the    dew}-  mist    in 

the   heat  of  the   harvest. 

5  For   before    the    har\'est,    when    the    blossom    is    over,    and    the 

berry  becomes  a  ripening  grape, 
He    will    lop    the    branches    with     pruning-kniv-es,    and    cut    off  10 

and  cast  away  the  tendrils. 

6  They    will    be    left     together    to    the    ravenous     birds    of    the 

mountains,   and  to  the  beasts   of  the  land. 
Thereon   the  ravenous  birds  will  summer,  thereon   all  the  beasts 

of  the   land   will   winter.  15 


(Post-Exilic) 

7      AT    that    time    will    a    gift    be    brought  =    to    Jhvh    Sabaoth   <from> 
IX.  a  people  tall  and  of   polished  skin,   from  a  people  dreaded    far 
and    wide,   a    nation    of   sinewy    strength   and   victorious,   whose   land  20 
rivers    cut    through,    to    the    place    of   the    Name    of  Jhvh    Sabaoth, 
Mount  Zion. 


Prophecy   i6. 
(preaching  of  (Kcpcnfancc  during  ^cnnac^criB'©  jfnt^aeion. 

Before  the  Siege  of  Jerusalem  (701  B.C.)-  25 

1,1  "\    VISION'  of   Isaiah    ben-Amoz,  w^iich    he    saw  concerning   Judah 
V     and    Jerusalem    in     the    days    of    Uzziah,    Jotham,    Ahaz,    and 
Hezekiah,  kings  of  Judah. 

2  Hear,  O   lieavens,   and  give  ear,   O  earth,   for  Jn\'H   speaks: 
Sons   have   I    reared    and   set    on    high,    and    they   have    rebelled  30 

against  mc. 


1,3  The  ox  knows  its   owner,   and  the  ass   its   master's   crib; 
Israel  has  no  knowledge,   my  people  no  discernment ! 

4  Ah!  sinful  nation,  guilt-laden  people, 

Race  of  evil-doers,   degenerate  children !     [back  in  estrangement. 
They    have    forsaken    Jhvh,    spurned    Israel's    Holy    One,    gone  5 

[and  more? 

5  On  what  *part*  can  ye  still  be  smitten,^  seeing  ye  revolt  more 
The  whole  head  is  sick,   and  the  whole  heart  faint. 

6  From   the   sole  of  the  foot  to  the   head  there  is  no  sound  part; 
^Nothing   but*    wounds,   and  bruises,  and  fresh  stripes!   [with  oil.  lo 
♦Which*    have   been   neither  pressed,  nor  bound  up,   nor  softened 

7  Your  land  is  a  desolation, 3  your  cities   are  burned  with   fire, 
Your  tilled  land  —  strangers  devour   it   before  your   face." 

S  Zion*  is  left  like  a  booth  in  a  vineyard. 

Like  a  lodge  in  a  field  of  cucumbers, s  Hke  a  besieged  city.  15 

9  Except  Jhvh  Sabaoth  had  left  to  us  a  remnant  n  , 
♦Almost*  had  we  been  as  Sodom,  we  had    been    like  Gomorrah.* 

10  Hear  Jhvh's  word,  ye  chieftains  of  Sodom  ;7 

Give  ear  to  our  God's  instruction,*  ye  people  of  Gomorrah ! 

11  What  care  I  for  the  great  number  of  your  sacrifices?*  says  Jhvh  ;  20 
I    am    sated   with    burnt-offerings  of  rams,  and  fat   of  fed  beasts, 
And  in  the  blood  of  bullocks,   and    lambs,  and   he-goats  I   have 

no  delight' 

12  When   ye   come  do   see   my   facei'° — who    has    required    this   at 

your  hand?  25 

13  No  more  may  ye  trample  my  courts,  tnor*  bring  *me*  oblations; 
Vain  the  sweet  vapor  ♦of  sacrifice*,  it  is  an  abomination  unto  me; 
New   moon  and   sabbath,   calling  of  assemblies, — 

I  cannot     *     *      *      ;    <fast>  and  solemn  meeting." 

14  Your   new   moons   and   your  set   days   my  soul   hates ;  30 
They  are  an   encumbrance  to   me ;    I   am  tired  of  bearing  it. 

15  If  ye    spread    forth    your    hands,    I    will    hide   mine    eyes    from 

}'OU  ; 

Even  if  ye   make    manj'   prayers,    I    will    not   hear;    your   hands 

are  stained  with   blood.  35 

16  Wash    you,    make    you     clean,    let    me    see    the    evil    of    your 

doinsfs  no  more." 


1,7"  and  it   is  a  desolation,  like  the  ruined  land  of  <Sodom-- 

* 
173  *  Cease  to  do  evil,  learn  to  do  well! 


I,  i7''-28  — «*e!j«aift  3  8  ai  a  6  •«?*!&«•* —  44 

1,17^  Seek  out  justice,  cchastise>  the  \iolent, 

Riijht  the  orphan,   plead  for  the  widow. '^ 

iS  Come  now,   and    let    us   argue   together, '3   says  Jhvh  ; 
If  \'our  sins  be  scarlet,   they  may  become  white  as  snow; 
Be  they  red  as  crimson,   they  may  become  as  wool.'-'  5 

19  If  \-e  be  willing  and  obedient,  the  good   of  the  land  shall  ye  eat, 

20  But  if  ye  refuse  and   resist,   by  the  sword  be  ye  eaten  ! 
The  mouth  of  Jhvh  has  spoken  it ! 

21  O   how  is  she  become   a  harlot, '^  the  faithful  city, 

<Zion-  which  was  full  of  justice,   where   righteousness  abode!"         10 

22  Thy  silver  is  changed  to  dross,   thy  wine  is   a  ithick  juicei." 
2;,  Thy  rulers  are  unruly'*  and  companions  of  thieves ; 

Every  one  loves  bribes,  and  is  running  after  fees ; 

The    cause    of  the    widow    comes    not    near    them,    the    orphan 

they   right  not.  15 

24  Therefore    *this     is*    the    oracle '^    of    the    Lord,'    the    Hero    of 

Israel : 
Aha !     I     will     vent    my     displeasure    on    mine    adversaries,    and 

take  vengeance  on   mine   enemies ; 

25  I    will    turn    my   hand    against   thee,    and   will   smelt   out  <in   the  20 
I   will   remove  all    thine  alloy;  [furnace^  thy  dross, 

26  I   will  bring  back  thy  judges  as  at  the  first,  and  thy  counselors 

as  at  the  beginning; 
Tliereafter     thou     wilt     be     called     Citadel     of     Righteousness, 

Faithful    City.  25 

(|)06f-6xtftc  dR^jpcnitx. 

27  ''^lON    will   be   set   free   through   judgment,  and   those   in    her 
/-^    who   have  turned  'from  evil*  through  righteousness; 

2S  But    »there    will     be*     a    destruction    of    apostates    and    sinners 

together.     Those  who  forsake  Jhvh  will  perish. '^  30 


1,21  "and   now   •full   of*   murderers 
* 
22  *  •weakened-   with  water  24 '■Jhvh  Sabaoth 


45  — »*e«^Si-  1  38«»«5  ■*^«^«-= —  22,1-iia 

Prophecy   17. 

(701    li.  c.) 

Oracle    on    the    Valley    of   Vis  ion. 3 

22, 1  "\  11  THAT    ails   thee,   then,    that   all   thy  people   have  gone  up  5 
V  V   to  the  housetops. 
Thou   who  art  full   of  uproar,   tumultuous   city,  joyous  town? 

2  Thy  slain  are  not   slain   with  the  sword,   nor  fallen   in  battle. 

3  All    thy    chieftains    fled    together,   swithout    -the    shooting    of+    a 

bow  they  were  made  prisoners ;  10 
All    thine    who    were     seized    were    together    made     prisoners!, 

♦thought  they  had  fled  far  away.= 

4  Therefore    I    say;    Look    away  from    me,   let    me  weep  bitterly! 
Press  not  to  comfort   me  for  the   destruction  of  my  people ! 

5  For   a   day   of  tumult,    and    of  trampling,    and   of  confusion    has  15 

♦in   store*   the   Lord  Jhvh   Sabaoth : 
In    the   valley   of  vision  3  ithey   break    down    the    wall,    and    the 

crying  tsounds*'  to  the  mountain. 

tThey    come    from    far — a    great    nation    from    the    ends    of    the 
**************  fearth);''  20 

************** 
************** 

6  And  Elam  took  up  the  quiver,   on  chariots  with  horses," 
And  Kir 5  uncovered  the  shield     *     *      * 

7  *     *     *      *"     thy  fairest  \-ales  were  full  of  chariots,  25 
And  the  horsemen  set  themselves  in  array  against  the  gate, 

8  *     *     and  tthe  enemy-  drew  aside  the  screen  of  Judah.'' 
Then  cye>  looked ''  to   the   armor   in   the    House    of  the    Forest,' 

9^*  And  ye  saw  that  the  breaches  in   David's  cit)-  were  many;" 


22,6  "with  •troops  of*  men,   •horsemen*, 
* 

7  *and  it  came  to  pass  •that  when* 

* 

8  'in  that  day 

* 
gb.io  'and  ye   collected   the   water  of  the  lower  pool,   and  the   houses   of  Jerusalem 
iia  ye  counted,  and  ye  broke  down  the  houses  to  fortify  the  wall,  and  ye  made  a 
reservoir  between  the  two  walls  for  the  water  of  the  old  pool 


22,  iiIj 


-14 


— s^^emsn'  I  3«'*»*§  ■ 


46 


22,11'' But  yc  looked   not  to   Him   who  prepared  all   this, 

And   Him   who  fashioned  it  long  ago  ye  did  ndt   regard. 

12  And  the   Lord,  Jhvh  Sabaoth,   called"  [with  sackcloth;^ 
To   weeping    and    to    lamentation,    to   baldness    and    to   girding 

13  But    behold,  joy   and    gladness,    killing    of  oxen   and    slaught-  5 
Eating  flesh  and  drinking  wine —  [<-'ring  of  sheep, 
Eating  and  drinking ;  for  *ye  thought* :  To-morrow  we  may  die, 

14  But  Jhvh  Sabaoth  has  revealed   Himself  in  mine  ears, 
Never  can  this  your  iniquity  be  canceled  till  ye  die!* 


22 ,  12   'in  that  day 


14^  says  the  Lord,  Jhvh  Sabaoth 


2»  ()f[att<xtmB  fo un^eb  on  t^t  ilc^a  of  3^^ta^ 

Including  Prophecies  and  Songs  of  Disputed  Origin 
( Post-Deuteronomic )' 


36,  1 


First  Narrative. 

ND     it     came    to    pass'  cat     that    timej^    that    Senna- 
cherib,   kins.;"    of    Assyria,     went    up    aL,'^ainst    all    the 


j^V    fenced    cities    of   Judah,   and    took    them.      And    the  5 

^'SM*  king   of  As.syria   sent   the   Rab-shakeh   from   Lachish 

^    to  Jerusalem   to    king   Hezekiah    with   a   great   force; 

and    he    took    up    his    position    near    the    conduit    of 

H'      ^^      ^    ^^^    upper    pool,    on    the    highway    of    the    Fuller's 

3  'f'       'i'       °f°    Field.     And    there    went    out    to    him    Eliakim    ben-  10 

•?•  Hilkiah,   who  was  over  the    palace,   and  Shebna,   the 

4  Secretary, 3  and  Joah  ben-Asaph,  the  Recorder.  And  the  Rab-shakeh 
said  to  them :  Say,  I  pray,  to  Hezekiah  :  Thus  says  the  great  king, 
the    king    of    Assyria :    What    is    this    confidence    which    thou     dost 

5  cherish?      Thinkest  thou    that    a    mere  word   of  the    lips   is    counsel  15 
and  strength   for  war?     Now  in  whom    dost   thou   confide    that   thou 

6  rebellest  against  me?  Surely,  thou  confidest  in  the  staff  of  that 
splintered  reed,  Egypt,  which,  if  a  man  lean  thereon,  will  run  into 
his    hand,    and    pierce    it.     Such    is    Pharaoh,   king    of   Egypt,    to    all 

S  who    confide    in    him.*"     And  now,   lay  a    wager,    I    pray,    with    my  20 


36,  I  "in  the  fourteenth  year  of  king  Hezekiah 
* 
7  *And    if 'ye  say  to   me:  We  confide  in  Jhvh,  our  God,  is  not  that  He  whose 
high  places  and  whose  altars  Hezekiah  has  taken  away,  and  has  said  to  Judah 
and  to  Jerusalem:    Ye  shall  worship  before  the  altar  here? 


36,9^22  — •*e#e@Si- 2  38aiaB 

36  lord,    the    king:"    I    will    give    thee    two    thousand     horses,     if    thou 

9  canst    furnish    for    thyself    riders    on    them.       How    then    canst    thou 

repel    the    onset   of  one   of  the    least  servants"    of   my    lord?       And 

yet  thou  puttest   thy  trust   in  Egypt  for   chariots  and   for   horsemen  ! 

10  And    now,    have    I    come    up    without    Jhvh     against    this    land    to  5 
destroy    it?      Jhvh    ^Himself-    said    to    me :     Go    up    agiiinst    yonder 
land,  and  destroy  it.' 

11  Then  Eliakim,  and  Shebna,  and  Joah  said  to  the  Rab-shakeh: 
Speak,     we     pray,     to     thy    servants     in    Aramaic;     we     understand 

it ;     but    speak    not    to     us     in     Hebrew,''    in     the    presence    of    the  10 

12  people  who  are  on  the  wall.  And  the  Rab-shakeh  said :  Is 
it  to  th)-  lord  and  to  thee  that  my  lord  has  sent  me  to 
speak  these  words  ?  is  it  not  to  the  men  who  arc  upon  the 
wall,   tand   who    will    be    driven*    to    eat    and    drink    filthy    food   with 

13  you  ?     And    the    Rab-shakeh    stood    forth,    and    cried    with    a    loud  1,5 

14  voice  in  Hebrew,  and  said :  Hear  ye  the  words  of  the  great 
king,    the    king   of  Assyria.      Thus   says    the    king :    Let    not    Heze- 

15  kiah  deceive  you,  for  he  is  unable  to  rescue  you,  and  let  not 
Hezekiah  make  you  trust  in  Jhvh,  saying :  Jhvh  will  surely 
rescue    us;    this    city   will    not   be   given    into    the   hand  of  the    king  20 

16  of  Assyria.  Hearken  not  to  Hezekiah;  for  thus  .says  the  king:" 
Make  friendship  with  me,  and  come  out  to  me,  and  ye  shall, 
every  one,  eat  of  his  own  vine,  and  every  one  of  his  own 
fig-tree,   and   every    one    shall    drink    the    water    of  his    own    cistern, 

17  until    I    come    and    take    you    away   to   a   land   like    your   own    land,  25 
a    land   of  wheat    and    new   wine,   a    land   of  bread   and    vineyards. '' 

21  And    they    kept    silence,    and    answered    him    not    a    word,    for    the 

22  king's     commandment     ran     thus  :     Answer     him     not.     Then     came 
Eliakim    ben-Hilkiah,   the    Governor   of  the  palace,    and  Shebna,    the 
Secretary,    and  Joah   ben-Asaph,   the  Recorder,   with   rent  clothes,  to  30 
Hezekiah,  and  told  him  the  words  of  the   Rab-shakeh. 


36,8.  16  "of  Assyria 
* 
9  "  'governors' 
* 

18  'Beware  lest  Hezekiah  entice  you,  sayina; :  Jhvh  will  rescue  us!  Did  the  gods 
of  the  nations   rescue  each   one  his  own   land  from  the   hand  of   the   king    of 

19  Assyria?  Where  are  the  gods  of  Hamath  and  Arpad?  Where  are  the  gods 
of  Sephan,'aim?     -And  where  are  the  gods  of  the  land  of  Samaria?     Have  they 

20  indeed-  delivered  Samaria  out  of  my  hand?  Which  are  they  among  all  the 
gods  of  these  lands  which  rescued  their  land  out  of  my  hand,  that  Jhvh 
should   Miow*   rescue  Jerusalem   out   of  my   hand? 


Ti 

n 

M 

Co 

Z 

0 

H 

W 

M 

;3 

"•■ 

o 

S 

o 

^ 

H 

^ 

O 

•33 

49  — ^^^■^Ss- 2  3eata5  ^!Sage3*« —  37,i-io 

37 , 1  When     King     Hezekiah     heard     it,     he     rent     his     clothes,    and 

covered   himself  with   sackcloth,    and   went    into   the   house   of  Jiivh. 

2  And  he  sent  Eliakim,  the  Governor  of  the  palace,  and  Shebna,  the 
Secretary,    and   the   elders   of  the  priests,    covered  with   sackcloth,   to 

3  the     prophet     Isaiah    ben-Anioz.      And     they     said     to     him  :     Thus  5 
says    Hezekiah :    This     is     a     day    of    trouble,    and     of    punishment, 
and    of   rejection,    for    children    are    come    to    the    birth,    and    there 

4  is    no    strength    to    bring    forth.      Perhaps    Jhvh,    thy  God,   will    hear 
the    words  of  the   Rab-shakeh,  which  the  king    of  Assyria,    his   lord, 
has    sent    through    him,"    and    will    punish     the    words    which    Jii\'h,  10 
thy    God,    has    heard ;     therefore     utter    a    prayer    for    the     remnant 
which    is    left. 

5  When  the  servants  of  King  Hezekiah  came  to  Isaiah,  Isaiah 
said  to  them  :  Carry  this  message  to  your  lord  :  Thus  says 
Jh\"ii  :    Be  not   afraid  because  of  the  words  which  thou   hast   heard."  15 

7  Surely,    I    will    strike    him   with    a    groundless    fright,*   that   when    he 
hears    a    +disquietingt     report,     he    will     return    to     his     own     land; 
and  I  will  cause  him  to  fall  by  the  sword  in  his  own  land. 
.s  Then  the  Rab-shakeh  returned,  and   found  the  king  of   As.syria 

9<still  at  Lachish>."'  And  he  heard  say  concerning  Tirhakah,  king  20 
of  Ethiopia:  He  has  gone  forth  to  fight  against  thee;  and  when 
37  he  heard  it,  he  moved  camp,  and  departed.  So  Sennacherib, 
3S  king  of  As.syria,  returned,  and  dwelt  at  Nineveh.  And  as  he 
was  worshiping  in  the  house  of  .  .  ,  his  god,  his  sons  Adram- 
melech  and  Sharezer  slew  him  with  the  sword.  The}',  however,  25 
made  their  escape  into  the  land  of  Armenia,  and  his  son  Esar- 
haddon  became  king  in   his  stead. '°  i 

2.  ^ame  ^uBjecf. 

Second  Narrative. 


9^     A' 

10 1\ 


ND     Sennacherib    ad\'anced     as     far     as     Libnah^,''    and      sent  30 
messengers    to     Hezekiah,     saj'ing;"     *      »      -s-     vt      *      .       Let 
not    thy    God    in    whom    thou    trustest    deceive    thee,    so    that   thou 


37,4  "to   insult   the   living   God 
* 
6  '^with   which    the   minions   of  the   king   of  Assyria   have   reviled   me 

* 
8  'besieging  Libnah,  for  he  had  heard  that  he  had  moved  camp  from  Lachish 

* 
10  *  Deliver  this  message  to  Hezekiah,  king  of  Jndah 


37.11-36  — »»i«ges»- 2  36a«a9  •«;%>»»«-«—  5° 

37  shouldst    say:    Jerusalem    will    not    be    given    into    the    hand    of    the 

1 1  king  of  Assyria.  Behold,  thou  thyself  hast  heard  what  the  kings 
of  Assyria    have    done    to    all    lands,   laying   them    under  a  ban ;  and 

12  shalt  thou  make  good  thy  escape?  Did  the  gods  of  the  nations, 
destroyed  b\-  my  fathers,  rescue  those  -nations,  such   as*   Gozan,  and  5 

13  Haran,  and  Rezeph,  and  the  Edenites  in  Telassar?  Where  is  the 
king    of    Hamath,    and    the    king    of  Arpad,    and    the    king    of    the 

14  city  of  Sephar\aim,  <>  and  of  iA\'i\ah?"  And  Hezekiah  took  the 
letter  out  of  the  hand  of  the  messengers,  and  read  it,  and  went 
up  into  the  house  of  Jhvh.      And  Hezekiah  spread  it  before  Jhvh,'^"  10 

15. 16  saying:  O  Jhvh,*  God  of  Israel,  who  art  enthroned  upon  the  Cherubim, . 
Thou   alone  art  the  *true*   God  for  all  kingdoms   of  the  earth ;    Thou 

17  hast  made  the  heaven  and  the  earth. '3  Incline  Thine  ear,  O  Jhvh, 
and  hear;  open  Thine  lexes.,  O  Jhvh,  and  see;  and  hear  the  message 

iS  of    Sennacherib,    wherewith    he    would    insult    the     Li\ing    God.      Of  15 
a    truth,    O    Jhvh,    the    kings    of   Assyria    have     laitl     under    a    bam 

19  all    the.nationsi  and    their    land,   and    ha\-e    put    their   gods    into   the 
fire;    for   no  treal*   gods  were   they,  but  men's  handiwork,  wood  and' 
stone ;    hence    they  destroyed    them.     And    now,   O    Jhvh,  our  God, 
deliver    us    out    of    his    hand,    that    all    the    kingdoms    of    the    earth  20 
may  know  that  Thou   alone,   O  Jhvh,  art    God. 

Then  Isaiah  ben-Amoz  sent  to  Hezekiah,  saying:  Thus  says 
Jhvh,  the  God  of  Israel:  As  to  that  which  thou  hast  pra\-ed  to 
me   concerning   Sennacherib,   king    of  Assyria,      ****** 

33  Therefore  thus  says  Jhvh  concerning  the  king  of  Assyria:  25 

He  shall  not  come  into  this   city. 
Nor  shoot  an   arrow  into   it. 
Nor  come   before   it   with   a   shield. 
Nor  cast   up  a  mound   against   it.' 
35  I  will  guard  this  city  that  I   ma\'  rescue  it,  j^™^° 

For  my  own  sake  and  for  my  Servant  Da\-id's  sake.         IV 

36  Then   the   angel    of  Jhvh   went   out,'*  and   slew   in   the   camp  of 

the    Assyrians    a     hundred     and     eight\--five    thousand.      When    ♦the 
people*  arose  in  the  morning,   behold,  all  those  were  stark  dead. 


20 


21 


37,15  "and  Hezekiah  prayed  to  Jhvh  «Sabaoth 

* 
34  'by  the  way  that  he  came,  by  the  same  shall   he  return,  and  into  this  city  he 
shall  not  come,  says  Jhvh 


51  — •^e^eas- 2  S^aia? -^S^i^siM-! —  37,22-32 

3.  ^ong  of  ©cneton  upon  ^cnnac6cn6. 

37,22  *"  I  "^HIS  is  the  word  tliat  Jhvh   has   spoken  against  him  :'5 

L    Thee  she  despises  and  at  thee  is  mocking — Zion,   the   \irgin! 
Behind  thee  her  head  she  is  wagging — the  maiden,  Jerusalem  ! 

23  Whom  hast  thou    reviled   and    insulted  ?    against  whom  uplifted  5 

the  voice  ? 
Yea,  thine  eyes  to  the  heavens  hast  thou  raised  against  Israel's 

Holy  One. 

24  By  thy  minions  hast  thou  insulted  the  Lord;  thou  hast  said: 
With  my  chariots  ascend  I  the   highest  mountains,  the  recesses  10 

of  Lebanon, 
Its  tallest  of  cedars  I  fell,  and  its   choicest  of  pine-trees, 
And    press    on   to    its    last   "halting-placen,   where   its   rich    woods 

are  thickest, 
25tWells,  too,  in  the  wastest  do  I  dig,  and  I  drink  iforeigni  waters,  15 
I   dry  up   with    the   sole   of  my  foot   all   canals   of  Egypt. 

26  Hast  thou  not  heard  ?  Long  ago  +all  this*  I  prepared, 
I  planned  it  of  old ;  at  last  I  have  brought  it  to  pass  ; 
Hence  thy  task  :    to   lay   low  fenced  cities  in   desolate   heaps. 

27  Their  inhabitants,   paralyzed   all,   were   dismayed,   put   to   shame,  20 
♦  Like+    grass,    tender    grass,    they    became,   *like*    blades    on    the 

housetops  and  hills. 
aScThou    art    full    in    my  view>  rising   up,   sitting  down,   going  out, 

coming  in ; 
Thy   raging   and  cuproan    against   me   have   come   to  my  ears.       25 
29  So   I   put  my  ring  through  thy  nose,  and  between   thy  lips   my 

bridle, 
And    by   the   way    thou    art    come,    ♦by    that*    do    I    make    thee 

return. 

30  And    let    this    be    the    sign    to    thee :     Ye    eat    this    year    that  30 
which    grows    of   itself,"'    and    the    second    year    that    which    springs 
from    the    roots,    and    the    third    year    ye    will    sow    and    reap,    and 

31  plant    vineyards,     and     eat    the    fruit    thereof      And    those    of    the 
House    of  Judah  who    have    escaped    and    are    left    shall    again   take 

32  root    downward,  and   bear   fruit    upward ;    for   out   of  Jerusalem  shall  35 
go    forth    a    remnant,    and    those    who    have    escaped    out    of   Mount 
Zion.     The  zeal  of  Jhvh  °  will  perform  this. 

37,32  "Sabaoth 


38,1-12  -^-*e*«S»- 2  3oaia^ -sSiiCis-*-^ 


52 


4.  Ipc^efttaB'e  3fft»i6e  (^ni  (Ricovir^.'' 

(By  the  Author  of  tht-  pre.  ^Ini.    s,r,,n,|    X.uiMlixx- ■") 

38 , 1  T  N  those  days  Hezekiah  was  seized  witli  a  mortal  sickness.  And 
1  the  prophet  Isaiah  ben-Amoz  came  to  him,  and  said  to  liim : 
Give    »th)-    last*    charge    to    thy    house,    for    thou    wilt    die    and    not  5 

2  recover.      Then  Hezekiah  turned  his  face  to   the  wall,  and   pra>-ed  to 

3  Jhvh,  and  said:  Ah,  Jhvh  !  bethink  Thee  now,  how  I  have  walked 
before  Thee  faithfully,  and  with   undivided  heart,  and  have  done  what 

4  is  good  in  Thine   eyes.      And   Hezekiah  wept  aloud.      And  the  word 

5  of  Jhvh  came  to  Isaiah:  Go,  and  say  to  Hezekiah:  Thus  says  Jhvh,  10 
the    God    of   thy    father    David  :     I    have    heard    th)'    prayer,   I    have 
seen    thy    tears ;     behold,    I    will     add    to    thy    da\-s    fifteen    >-ears.'^ 

6  And    from    the    grasp    of    the    king    of  Assyria    will    I    resctie    thee 

7  and  this  cit)-,  and  I  will  shield  this  city.'y  And  let  this  be  the 
sign    to    thee    from    Jhvh,  that    Jhvh  will    perform    this   thing  which  15 

S  He  has  promised:  Behold,  I  will  cause  the-  shadow  to  go  back 
as  many  steps  as  'the>  sun  has  gone  down  on  the  step-clock  of 
Ahaz.^"*  So  on  the  step-clock  the  sun  went  back  »the*  ten  steps 
which  it  had   gone    down. 


A   cMI 
l\  .sic 


5.  ^eafm  of  ^Oonftegiftng.^' 

( Certainly  post-E.xilic  1 

KTAM     of   Hezekiah,    king    of    Judah,   when    he    had    been 
sick,   and  was   recovered  from  his  sickness  : 


10  I   thought,   I   must  go  ♦hence*   in  the  noontide  of  my  days. 
Within   Sheol's  gates  am   I   held  for  the  rest  of  my  years.  25 

11  I   thought,   I   shall   no  more  see  Jah  in    the   land   of  the    lixing, 
Not    a    man    shall    I    behold    any    more    with    tlwellers    in    the 

tworldj. 

12  My    abode    is    plucked    up    and    uncovered    from    me    like    the 

tent  of  a  shepherd  ;='  30 

■»esS^«S<- 

38,21  •'.'Vnd  Isaiah  said:   Let  them  fetch  a  cake  of  figs,  and  press  it  as  a  poultice  on 
22  the   boil,  that  he   may  recover.     And   Hezekiah  said:   What   is   the  sign  that  I 
shall  go  up  to  Jhvh's  house? 
* 
8  "ten  steps 


/         -^     V  S4fv 


53  -^*e;t^S5- 2  3«*'<»§ -^SS^sM-^  38,13-20 

38  I    have    rolled    up,    like   a   wea\-er.    my    life ;    from    the   loom   He 

severs  me.^^ 

13  Night   and   day  Thou    givest   me  up  *to  my  pains+;    I  cry   even 

till  morning; 
Like  a   lion — so   does  +my  torturing  pain+  break  all   my  bones."  5 

14  Like  a  swift, "^  so   do   I   scream ;=■*  I   mourn   like   a   dove; 

Mine    eyes  <Iook    tearfully^   heavenward:     Jhvh,   ibe    carefuh   for 

me,   be  Thou   my  surety ! 

15  What    shall    I    say,   and  twhat*   tobjecti   against    Him,  when    He 

Himself  has  done  it  ?  10 
because   of  the  bitterness   of  my   soul. 

16  O   Lord, 

cDo    thou    refresh;  my    spirit,    and    make    me    sound,   and    revive 
*******x*****  [me  1 

***********      X      *  15 

17  Behold   for  +my*   welfare  came  bitterness  to   me.^s  ^     ^     ^  . 
****************** 
But  Thou   hast  cwithheldj  me  from   the  cbottomlessj  pit  of<ruin>,=* 
Yea,   Thou   hast  cast  all   my  sins  behind  Thy   back. 

18  For  Sheol  does  not  thank  Thee,  nor  does  Death  praise  Thee,^^  20 
Those    who    have    gone    down    to    the    pit    hope    not    for    Thy 

floving-kindness> . 
The   Ii\'ing,   the   li\ing,    he  praises   Thee,   as   I   do  this   day, 
A  father  to   sons   makes   known   Thy   faithfulness.^* 


Liturgical  Appendix.'?  25 

20  cBe  Thou  pleased),   O  Jhvh,    to   deliver   me; 
And  we  will  play   on  ctho  stringed  instruments 
xA.U  the  days   of  our    life   before  Jhvh's  house. 


38,  13  "night  and  day  Thou  givest  me  up 
* 
14  "'or*  a   crane 


39.  I -S  ^^^js^tglii.  2  3cai'>B ->S»?<sM.«—  54 


6.  6in6ae6ji  of  Q1lcro5ac6  QBafaSan.^" 

I  I>y  saiiu-  author  as  2  and  4  < 

39.1      AT     that    time    tlic     king    of    Bab)-lon,    Mcrodach    Baladan     ben- 
l\.   Baladan,     sent    cchamberlains:    and     presents    to     Hezekiah,     for 

2  he    had"    heard    that    he    had    been    sick,    and    had    reco\-ered.      And  5 
Hezekiah  had  pleasure  at  this,  and  showed  them   his  treasure-house, 
the    silver,    and    the    gold,  and    the   spices,  and  the  fine  oil,   and  the 
whole    of   his  armory,    and    all  that    was    found  in   his    stores ;    there 
was    nothing    in    his    house,  and    in    all   his   dominion,  that    Hezekiah 

3  did    not     show     them.       Then     came    the    prophet    Isaiah    to     King  10 
Hezekiah,    and     said    to     him  :     What     have     these    men     said,     and 
\vhence    come     they    to    thee  ?     And    Hezekiah    said :     From    a    far 

4  country  are  they  come  to  me,  from  Babylon.  And  he  said  :  What 
ha\  c  they  seen  in  thy  house  ?  And  Hezekiah  said  :  All  that  is  in 
my    house    the)-   have    seen  ;    there    is    nothing    in    m\-    stores    which  15 

5  I    did    not  show   them.     Then    Isaiah    said    to    Hezekiah  :    Hear    the 

6  word  of  Jhvh  !"  Behold,  the  days  come  when  all  that  is  in  thy 
house,    and    that    which    th}'  fathers    have    stored    up    until    this   day, 

7  will  be  carried  to  Babylon  ;3'  nothing  will  be  left,  saj's  Jhvh.  And 
of    thy    sons    wdio    will    issue     from    thee"    some     will    be    taken    as  20 

.s  chamberlains  in  the  palace  of  the  king  of  Bab\-lon.  And  Hezekiah 
said  to  Isaiah  :  Good  is  the  word  of  Jin'u  which  thou  hast  spoken. 
P'or  jjeace   and  stability,  he  thought,  will   be   'at   least*   in  my  days. 


39,6°  Sabaoth  7  "  whom  thou  wilt  beget 


Whereof  each  now  contains  an  Isaianic  Fragment 


15. 1 


Prophecy   i. 

faff  of  (moaV 

(722.  or  1589-  B.  C;   Isaiah's  portion  711  B.  C;  the  whole  edited  late) 

Oracle  on  Moab. 

AIL    YE,*    because    in    the    night    Ar-Moab    was  5 

stormed,   destroyed ! 
Because   in   the   night    Kir-Moab   was    stormed,    de- 
stroyed !  - 


<Dibon's  people  go  up^  to  the   sanctuaries   to   weep, 3 
On  Nebo  and  on   Medeba  Moab  wails,  10 

On   all   heads  baldness,   every  beard   shorn. 
'9'      In    Moab's   streets   they  gird  themselves   with   sack- 
cloth,  on   her  roofs  cis   lamentation^. 
In   her  market-places  all   Moab  wails,   weeping  sbitterly?.  [heard. 

4  Heshbon    and    Elealeh    cry  out,   even    as   far   as   Jahaz   the   sound    is  15 

Therefore    the    +very*   iloinsi    of    Moab     complain,     her    inmost    soul 

quails. ^ 

5  My   heart   cries    out  for   Moab,^     *      *     * 

Whose  fugitives     *     *     *     *     as  far  as  Zoar;° 


15,5  "'to*   the  -third    Eglathi 


i5.6-i6,H  — »*^*sai- 3  3eata^ -jgS^isM^—  56 

15  For  the   ascent   of  Luhitli,    in   tears   do   they  ascend   it, 
In   the  way  to    Horonaini   a  cry   of  ruin   do  they  ishouti. 

6  For  the   waters   of  Nimrim   become  waste   places,'^  [none. 
Withered    is    the    grass,   gone    is   the    herbage,    \erdure    there    is 

7  Therefore    the    abundance    which    tiiey    have    gotten,    and     their  5 
0\er  the  torrent  of  the    ;willowsi    do  they  carry   it,  [store, 

8  Because  the  cry  has  gone  round  the  border  of  Moab;    [waiHng; 
Even    to    Eglaim   »resounds*    its    wailing,    and    to    Beer-Elim    its 

9  Because  the  waters  of  Dimon  are  become  full  of  blood. 

For  I   destine  fresh  +woest   for   Dimon,     [land     ***».'  10 
For    the    escaped    of   Moab    lions,    and    for    the    remnant   of   the 

i6,i  Send  ye  the  cpresentS)  for  the  ruler  of  the  land;   *send  them*  b\- 

the  way  of  the  rocky  country  through  the  wilderness,  to  the  moun- 
2  tain    of    Zion.^      Then    will    be    seen    at    the    fords    of   Arnon,    like 
fluttering  birds,  scattered  nestlings,  the  communities  of  Moab.  15 

3  Apply  counsel,   act  an   umpire's  part,^ 
At  highest  noon  make  thy  shadow   like  the   night. 
Shelter   the   outcasts,    betray   not   the   fugitive! 

4  Let  ithe    outcasts    of   Moab    sojourn    with    thee ;    be    to   them   a 

shelter   from   the   destroyer  -,    for   the  cviolenb  are   no   more,'°  spoilers  20 
are    disappeared,    they    who    trampled    down    are    perished     from    the 
land ; 

5  The  throne  is  established  by   kindness, 
There  sits   upon   it   in   faithfulness  in    David's  tent  [justice. 

A    judge    who    is    both    zealous    for    judgment    and    skilled    in  25 

6  We   have  heard  of  the  pride  of  Moab,   the  \-er\'  ]3roud ;    of  her 

pride,    and    her   haughtiness,    and   her   insolence,    and  of   her   baseless 
pratings." 

7  Therefore  Moab  wails  for  Moab,  she  wails  in  all  her  borders ; 
For     the    raisin-cakes"''    of    Kir-Hareseth    ttheyj   moan,     utterh-  30 

crushed. 
S  Withered    are    the  tvine-blossoms-  of     Heshbon    «and-    the    \ines 

of  Sibmah, 
Whose  choice  grapes  smote  down   the   lords  of  nations, '^ 
Which    reached    as    far   as    Jazer,    which    straj'ed    'CX-en*    into   the  35 

desert,''' 
Whose  shoots  spread  abroad,   ♦and.   passed  over  the   Sea.'s 


To  face  p.s6 


STOXE   OF    MESHA 
(Seep.}6S,  1. 30;  p,i6g,  1. 3;  ^,213,  Xo.r) 


57  — •*e|^*- 3  38a«a§ -«^^4-< —  16,9-21,12 

16,9  Therefore  do   I  join  in  Jazer's  weeping  for  the  vine  of  Sibmah; 
I   water  thee   with   m\-  tears,   O    Heshbon   and   Elealeh,  [fallen, "" 
For    upon    thy    fruitage    and    upon    thy    vintage    is    a    war-cry 
10  Vanished  are  joy  and   gladness  from  the   land  of  gardens. 

In  the  vineyards   there  is   no  singing,   no   shouting;  [stilled.  5 

None  treads  out  wine  in  the  presses;  the  cry  of  the  vintage  is 

iisTherefore    my  inmost  parts   wail   like  a   lute   for    Moab, 
And  all   that  is   within    me   for    Kir-Hareseth:. 


12  And   it   shall    come    to    pass,    that   when    Moab   wearies    herself"  10 
on    the    high    place,    and    comes     to     her     sanctuary    to     pray,    and 
prevails    not,  <then    shall    Moab    be    ashamed    of  Chemosh   in   whom 
she  trusted^/' 

13  Such    is    the    word  which    Jhvh    spoke   concerning   Moab   afore- 

14  time.      But     now     Jhvh     speaks     thus  :      In     three     years,     exactly  15 
measured,  shall    Moab's   glory^  become    contemptible,   despite  all  that 
great    tumult,    and    the    remnant    shall    be   very   small   *and*    without 
strength.'* 


Prophecy  2. 

^ragm<^n(0  on  t^c  ®oom  of  (Biom  anb  Ivedar. 

(.5S9.  ;    VV.    15- 17:. 711.    B.  C.)' 


Oracle    on    <Edom> 

of  Seir  there  comes  a   voice  to  me: 
/atchman,   how   late   is   the   hour   of  the   night?     W'atch- 
12  The   watchman   answers:  [man,   how    late   is   the    hour?  25 


SI, II  /^UT 
\y   \Va 


The  morning   comes,   and  also   the   nieht : 


'& 


Would  ye  inquire,   inquire;  come  ye   again.' 


16,  12  "appears 


21,  13-1/ 


— 5~H^«@Ss-  3  38aia5  •*?*«< — 


58 


Oracle    ''In    Arabia." 

31,13  In  the  thickets  of  +the  wilderness-  must  ye  lodge  <at  eventide>, 

ye  caravans  of  Dedanites  Is 

14  Bring  ye  water  to  meet  the  thirsty, 

Ye  dwellers  in  the   land  of  Tema,*  <offer>  bread  to  the  fugitive.  5 

15  For    before    the    swords    are    they    fled,    before    the   t\vhetted> 
And  before  the  bent  bow,  and  before  the  press  of  war.   [sw^ord, 

16  For  thus    has   the    Lord   said   to   me :    In   a   year   more,   exactly 

17  measured,   all    the    glory  of    Kedar    will    be    over,   and    the    number 
that    is   left   of   the    warlike    archers   of  the    Kedarenes'  will    become  10 
small.     Jhvh,   Israel's   God,   has   spoken   it. 


4.  {pvop^mtB  on  t^t  5^£f  of  (§(X^^2on 

By  Unknown  Writers  at  the  Close  of  the  Exile 


ai,i 


Prophecy  i. 
(B.  c.  55t>-545) 

Oracle  on"  cChaldea^. 


IKE  the  rush  of  storms  in  the  Southland  5 

It  comes  from  the  desert,   from  a  terrible  land.^ 
To  me  is  announced  a  direful  vision :    [dexastates ; 
The   robber   ♦still*    robs,    and   the   devastator   +stilh 
Go  up,   O   Elam  !      Besiege,   O   Media  ! 
All   sighing  +of  captives*   I  ^vill   hush  for  ever.  10 

Therefore  are  my  loins  full  of  anguish ; 
Pangs  have  seized  me  like  ♦the  pangs  of*  a  woman 

in  travail : 

f  ft  ■  ' 

I  writhe,    so    that    I    cannot    hear;   I    am    troubled,    so    that   I    cannot 

4  My  mind  is  bewildered;  a  horrible  dread   has   dismayed  me;        [see.  15 
Eventide  that  I   long  for  is  turned  for  me   into  trembling. 

5  They  prepare  the  table ;  they  spread  the  carpets ;" 
Arise,  ye  princes,   make  the  shield  ready  with  oil !  ^ 

6  For  thus  has  the  Lord  said  to  me : 

Go,  station  a  watcher ;  what  he  sees  he  shall  announce.  20 


^     <^ 


ai ,  I  "  the  wilderness  of  the  sea 


5  '^they  eat,  the}'  drink 


21,7    13.  f>  — »*is*ssffiit- 4  38ata5 -sSSifEM-e—  6o 

21,7  And   when   he  sees   a   troop  of  riders,  horsemen   in   double   rank, 
A  train  of  asses,   a  train  of  camels,-' 
He  shall  liearken  with  the   utmost  heed. 
S  Then  he  cried -in  my  audience*:   Upon  the  watch-tower,  O  Lord, 
Do   I   stand   continually  by  day,  5 

And  I   remain  at  my  post  through  all  the  nights. —  [rank; 

9  And    behold,  just    then    came    a    troop    of   horsemen    in    double 
So  lie  began,   and  said:   Fallen,   fallen  is   Babylon  ! 
All  the  images  of  her  gods  have  come  shattered  to  the  ground, 
lo  O   my  *people*,   threshed  out  and   downtrodden!'  lo 

What    I    have    heard    from    Jiivii    Sabaoth,  the    God    of    Israel, 

have  I  announced  to  you. 


Prophecy  2. 
Jaff  of  QBa6pfon, 

With  an  Ode  of  Triumph.      (  b.  c.  550-545).  15 

13,1      Oracle  on    Babylon  which   Isaiah  ben-Amoz  saw.' 

2  T    T  PON    a    treeless    mountain    raise    ye   a   signal,   lift  up    the 
\-J     voice  to  them, 

Wave  the  hand,  that  they  may  enter  the  gates  of  the  princes. 

3  I   have  given  a  charge   ([concerning    my  wrath])  to  my  conse-  20 

crated  ones, 
I    have   also   summoned   my    heroes  [],   my   proudly   triumphant 

ones. 

4  Hark,   a  tumult  in  the  mountains,  as  of  a  great  multitude! 
Hark,  an   uproar  of  kingdoms,   of  nations  gathered  together!       25 
It  is  Jhvh  Sabaoth   nmstering  the  warlike  host. 

5  They  come  from  a  far  country^  from  the  end  of  the  heaven, 
Jhvh    and    the    instruments    of   His  indignation,  to   destroy  the 

whole  earth. 

6  Wail !    The  day    of  Jhvh   is  near,  as  destruction  from   Shaddai^  30 

will  it  come! 

7  Therefore  will  all  hands  hang  down,      »     *     »      *   , 

8  And  every  heart  of  mortals   will   quiver,  |  and  dismayed  will  be 

■«■***; 


6i  — 9*e!^S3>  4  36ata3 -*©*§»«"« —  13,9-19 

13  Pangs     and     throes    will    seize    them,    they    will    writhe    like    a 

woman  in  travail, 
Stupefied    each    will    look    at    tlie    other,   their    faces   will   glow 

like   flames. 

9  Behold,"   He    comes,  inexorable,   with    fury   and   burning  wrath,  5 

To  make  earth  a  desolation,  and  to  extirpate  the  sinners  thereon. 
lo^The  heavens  and  the  Orions  thereof'  will  not  shed  their  bright 

beams, 
The  sun  will  be  darkened   at    his    going    forth,   and    the    moon 

will   not  give  her  brilliant   light.   10 

11  I   will  punish  the  world  for  tits^  evil,  and  the  wicked  for  their 

iniquity, 
I    will    still    the   arrogance   of  the   proud,   and  will   lay   low  the 

haughtiness  of  tyrants. 

12  I  will  make  mortals  more  scarce  than  fine  gold,  and  men  than  15 

the  rich  ore  of  (Jphir. 

13  Therefore    will    I    make    heaven    tremble,    and     the     earth     will 

mo\-e  quaking  from  its  place, 
At   the   fury  of  Jhvh   Sabaoth,   and  in  the  day  of  His  burning 

anger.  20 

14  And    then,   like    a    hunted    gazelle,    like    sheep    which    no    man 

folds. 
They  will  turn,  every  one    to    his    own   people,   and    flee,   e\'ery 

one  to  his  own  land ; 

15  Whoso  is  seized  will  be  thrust  through,   whoso    is   caught  will  25 

fall   by  the  sword ; 

16  And  their  children  will  be  dashed  in  pieces  before    their    eyes. 
Their  houses  will  be  .spoiled     *      *   ,   their  wives  ravished. 

17  Behold,   I  stir  up  against  them  the  Medes,      *      *     *      *     * 
Who  regard  not  silver,   and  take  no  pleasure  in  gold.  30 

iS  *      *      *     and  bows     *     *     *     * 

*     *       young  men       *      cmaidens)   iwill  bei  dashed  in  pieces ; 
With  ruth  the)'  will  not  look  on  children,   nor  will   they    have 

pity  on  the  fruit  of  the  womb. 
19  And    Babylon,    glory    of    kingdoms,    proud     ornament     of    the  35 

Chaldeans,   will  fare 
As  when  God  +Himself*  overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorrah. 


13,9  "the  day  of  Jhvh  10®  the  stars  of 


13,20-14,10  — ».»e^tjg»-  4  3ga«a6  ■^mm>f'^  62 

13,20  It  will  be   uninhabited  for  ever,  and  tenantless  age  after  age;^ 
No   roving  herdsman  will   pitch   tent    there,    nor    shepherds    let 

■•their  flocks*   lie  down  there. 

21  Wild  cats  will  lie  down  there,     *     *      x      *      * 

Their  houses   will  be  full  of  jackals,      *      *      *     *  5 

Ostriches   will   dwell  there,   satyrs  will  dance  there, 

22  H_\enas   will   howl  to  each  other  in   cits;  towers,   and  woh'es    in 

the   voluptuous  palaces : 
Its  time  is  nearly   come,  and  its  days  will  not  be  prolonged. 

14,1  For  Jhvh  will  have   compassion  upon  Jacob,  and  will  }'et  again  10 

choose     Israel,     and     settle    them     upon    their    own     land,     and    the 
sojourners    will   join    themselves    to    them,  and    attach    themselves   to 

2  the   House  of  Jacob. 5     The  peoples  will   take  them,  and  bring  them 
to    their    place,    and    those    of   the    House    of   Israel    will    take    them 

in  possession  on  Jhvh's  land,  as  bondmen  and  bondmaids,   and  they  15 
will    become    the    captors    of    their    captors,    and    will    subdue    their 

3  taskmasters.      And    then,    Jhvh    having    given    thee    rest    from    thy 
travail,  and  from  thy  disquiet,  and  from   the  hard  service  which   men 

4  laid    upon     thee,   thou    wilt    recite    this    strain    of    derision    upon    the 
king  of  Babylon,   and  wilt  say:  20 

How  still  is  the  despot  become,    ||   how  still  is  the  -raging* ! 

5  Broken    has    Jhvh    the    staff  of  the  wicked,    ||   the    rod   of  the 

tyrants, 

6  Which  smote  peoples  in  passion    |i    with  stroke  luircmitting. 
Which    trampled    the    nations    in    anger,    ||    unchecked    was    his  25 

trampling ! 

7  Still  and  at   rest,   the  whole  earth  ;    ||   into  shoutings  of  triumph 

break  they ; 

8  At    th>'  fate    the    pine-trees    rejoice    ||    nind-    Lebanon's    cedars, 

+saying* :  30 
No  woodman   comes   up   against   us  ||  since  thou  art   laid   low. 

9  Sheol  beneath    is   startled  because    of    thee,    ||    expecting  •soon* 

thine    arrival;* 
For  thee  the  shades  it  arouses,    ||   all   the  bell-wethers   of  man- 
kind; 35 
It    makes    arise    from    their    thrones    ||    all    the    kings     of    the 
10  They  all  address  thee     *     *     *   ,  II  and  say  to  thee:     [nations. 
Thou,    too,  art   made   strengthless    as    we    are —   ||   to    us    hast 

thou   been  leveled! 


63  ^«*e#^Ss-  4  3sata5  -s^^**^  14  ,  n  -  22 

14,11    Brought  down  to  Sheol  is  thy  pride  ||  tand*  the  twang  of  thy 

harps ; 
Beneath    thee    corruption    is    spread,    ||    with    worms    art    thou 

covered. 

12  How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven,  ||  O  radiant  one.  Son  of  the  5 

Dawn ! ^ 
<Howj   art    thou    struck   down   to   the   ground,    ||    ♦to  lie-  a  stiff 

♦corpse*   upon   <corpses> ! 

13  And   thou,  thou  didst  say  in  thy  heart:   ||   The  heavens  will  I 
Above  the  stars  of  God   ||  will  I  exalt  my  throne,  [scale,*  10 
I   will  sit  on  the  Mount  of  Assembly  ||   in   the  recesses  of  the 

North, 

14  I   will   mount   above   'even*    the   hills    of  the    clouds,'   ||    I    will 

match  the  Most   High. 

15  Nathless    thou    art    brought    down    to    Sheol,    ||   to    the   -ver)'*  15 

recesses  of  the  pit. 

i5    They  who    see    thee,    on    thee   do  they   gaze   ||   and  thee   they 

consider,  ♦saying* : 
Is    this    he    who    startled    the    earth,    ||   who    shook    kingdoms, 

17  Who  made  the  world  a  desert,    ||   and  broke  down  its  cities,        20 
Who    sent    not    his    prisoners    back    free,    ||  c[each  one  doj  his 

house])? 

18  oKings  of  nations,  all  of  them,    ||    repose  in  high  estate,   [] 

19  But   thou  camong   the  slain^  art  flung   down,    ||    ♦among^    those 

who  are  pierced  with  the  sword,  25 
Who  go  down  to   the  every  base^  of  the    pit,'°   ||   as  a  carcass 

trodden  under  foot. 

cHow  art  thou   cut  off'  from  thy  grave,   ||  as  a  scion  abhorred, 
*****     clothed    cwith  shames.  [with  them. 

20  <As    for    thy    fathers),   thou    mayest    not    be  joined  ||    in    burial  30 

Because  thou  hast  destroyed  th)-  land,  ||  hast  slain  thy  people. 
Nevermore  be  named   ||   the  race  of  -the  e\'il-doer> !      [<father>, 

21  Shambles  prepare  for  his  sons,    ||   because   of  the  guilt  of  their 
That    they   arise  not,   and  take  the  earth   in   possession,    ||   and 

fill  the  face  of  the  world  with  theaps). "  35 

22  And    I  will    arise    against    them,    says    Jhvh    Sabaoth,  and   will 

cut  off  from   Babvlon    record   and    remnant,  scion  and  seed,   ♦such*  is 


14  .  ^3  -  40  ,  II  _».,.e^^f!-  4  3Baia6  -ss^jga^^  64 

14,23  Jhvh's  oracle;  and  I  will  make  it  a  possession  of  the  bittern,  and 
pools  of  water,  and  will  sweep  it  with  the  besom  of  extirpation, 
says  Jhvh   Sabaoth. 


Prophecy  3. 

Original  Prophecies  of  the  Second  Isaiah.' 

t.  (Boob.  (IXirva  for  t6e  6rif«6. 

40, 1 /^~~^OMFORT  yc,  comfort  ye  m\-  people,   says  your  God. 
-  V_^    S])eak   ye  tendcrlj^  to  Jerusalem,   and   proclaim  to   her 
That    her    hard    service    is    accomplished,   her  ^debt  of*   guilt    is  10 

discharged, 
That  slie  has  recei\'ed  from  Jhvh's  hand  double  for  all  her  sins.' 

3  Hark!  there  is  a  cry:  Clear  ye  in  the  wilderness  the  wa\-  of  Jhvh, 
Make  plain   111   the   desert  a  highway   for  our  God,  [uplifted, 

4  Let  every  mountain  and  hill    sink    down,    and    ever)-   valley  be  15 
And     let     the     steep     ground     become     Ie\'el,     and     the     rough 

counlr)-  plain  ! ' 
9  To    a    high    mountain    get   thee    up,    O   compaii}-    that    bringest 

good  news  to  Zion, 
Lift    up    mightih'    thy   voice,    O    compan\-    that    bringest    good  20 
Lift   it  up  courageously,  [news  to  Jerusalem, 3 

Say  to  the  cities  of  Judah:  Behold!   your  God! 

10  Behold,"  Jhvh  comes  as  a  .strong  one,  His  arm  ruling  for  Him; 
Behold,    His    reward    is   with    Him,   and    His    recompense    *goes* 

before   Him.  25 

11  As  a  shepherd   will   He  tend   His  flock,"  with   His  arm  will   He 

gatlier  «it». 
The    lambs   t>   in    His    bosom    will    He    carr\-,    those    that    give 

suck    will    He   lead. 

40,5  "And  the  glory  of  Jhvh  will   be  revealed,  and  all   flesh  will  see  it   together,  for 
the  nioulli  of  Jiivii  has  spoken  it. 
* 
10  ''the  Lord 


65  — »4ei^s- 4  3«i»«a?  •®JS*5«-'—  40,6-19 

2.   Ztx.  creature  firet  ^umfifeJ  an6  t^in  encouraged 

by  true  thoughts  of  Jhvh. 

40,6  T   TARK!    ♦A    voice*    says:    Proclaim!    and  <I    say> :    What 
A   L    shall  I   proclaim? 

All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  <strength'  thereof  like  the  flowers  5 

of  the    field; 

7  The    grass    withers,    the    flowers    fade,    because    the    breath    of 

Jhvh   has  blown  thereon." 

8  The  grass  withers,  the  flowers  fade,  but  the  word  of  our  God 

stands  for  ever.  10 

12  Who    has   measured   the  waters  with   the  hollow    of   his    hand, 

and  meted  out  heaven  with  a  span, 
And  comprehended    the    dust  of  the  earth  in  one  third    *of  an 

ephah*, 
And  weighed   mountains  with   scales,  and   hills  with  a  balance?  15 

13  Who    has    meted    out   the    minds  of   Jhvh,  and   ♦who*,  as    His 

counselor,  gives   Him  knowledge? 

14  With  whom  has  He  taken  counsel,  that  He  might  obtain 
I  insight, 
And  be    taught    as    to    the    path    of  right,*  and    be    shown  the  20 

way  of  understanding? 

15  Behold,   the   nations   are  like  a  drop  on  a  bucket,*  and   as    fine 

dust  on  a  balance  are  they  reckoned; 
Behold,   He  lifts  up  ♦the*  islands'  like  a  mote ; 

16  And  Lebanon  is  not  sufficient    for  fuel,  nor    its    beasts    enough  25 

for  burnt-ofiferings. 


17  All  nations  are  as  nothing   before    Him ;    they  are  reckoned   by 

Him  as  vacancy  and  chaos. 
iS  To  whom  then  will    ye    liken   God,  and  what    sort    of   likeness 

place  beside   Him?  30 
19  An    image!    a    craftsman    has    cast    it,  and    a    goldsmith    over- 
lays  it  with  gold;' 


40,7''  "surely,  the  people  is  grass 

* 
14b  "and  teach  Him  knowledge 

* 
19    'and  chains  of  silver  a  goldsmith     *    * 


41,6-40,27  — ».*e^*@S!- 4  38aia6 -sssslea** —  66 

41  , 6    One    help.s    tlic    other,   and    sa)'.s    to    his  fellow .-     Be    of    good 

courage. 

7    And      tlie     craftsman      encourages      the      goldsmith  ;     he      who 

smooths  with   the   hammer,   him   who   smites  on   the  anvil, 

Saying  of    the  soldering:     It  is  good;    and    he    fastens   it  with  5 

40,20   .      .      .      .     chooses  an  undecaying  wood,  [nails." 

Seeks  for  himself  a  skilled  craftsman,  to  set  up  an  image  that 

shall  not  totter.^ 


21  Do  ye  not  perceive?     Do  ye  not  hear?    has   it  not   been    told 

you   from  the  beginning?  10 
Have  ye  not  understood  tfroni)  the  foundation  of  the  earth?' 

22  *It  is   He*  who  sits    above    the    vault    of   the    earth'°  -so    high* 

that  its  inhabitants  are  as  locusts, 
Who    has    stretched    out    the    heavens    as  -a    firmament*,  and 

spread  them   out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in;  15 

23  *It  is    He*    who    turns    princes    to    nothing;    twho*    makes    the 

judges  of  the  earth  like  chaos. 

24  Scarcely  have  they  been  planted,  scarcely  ha\e  they  been  sown. 
Scarcely  has  their  stem  taken  root  in  the  earth. 

When    He  blows    upon   them,  they   wither,   and   like  stubble  a  20 

tempest  carries   them  away. 

25  To  whom    then  will    ye  liken   me,   that  I   should  be    equal    to 

him  ?  says  the   Holy  One. 

26  Lift   up  your  eyes  on  high ;  who  has  created  those  ? " 

He    who    brings  out    their    host    in    *full*    number,   *and»   calls  25 

them  all   by   name  ; 
For  tfear  of*   His   great   strength  and  <mighty>  power,   not  one 

remains  behind. 


27    Why  sayest  thou,   O  Jacob,   and  speakest,   O   Israel : 

My  fortune  is    hidden  from    Jhvh,  and  my  right  is   unnoticed  :■ 

by  ni)-  God? 


30 


41,  7  "it  will  not  totter 


67  — »*«#eSS!- 4  3*<''i? -^ssJSa*-!-  40,28-41,9 

40 ,  28  Hast  thou  not  perceived  ?  hast  thou  not  heard  ?  '^pekfffl.'* 

An  everlasting    God    is    Jhvh,   the  Creator  of   the  ends  of   the 
He    faints    not,     nor     can     He    be     wearied;      His     insight    is 

unsearciiable; 

29  To    the    weary     He    gives    vigor,    and    to     the    powerless    He  5 

increases  strength ; 

30  Youths     may    faint     and     grow    weary,    young     warriors     may 

stumble, 

31  But    they    who    wait    for    Jhvh    renew    'their*    vigor,    they    put 

forth,   as  it  were,  eagles'   wings."  10 


3.  ZU  Korl,  tU  onfj  true  <5o&, 

proved  as  such  by  the  prophecy  concerning  Cyrus. 

ti,iT   T  EARKEN  to    me   in  silence,  ye  +far+  countries;"  and  ye' 
A    1    peoples,   cwait  for   my  arguingj;  [tribunal. 

Come    near!    afterwards    speak  !     together    let    us   approach  the  15 

[steps  attends  victory, 

2  Who    was    it    that    roused    up    from    the    East    him    on    whose 
+That«  gives    up   before     him    peoples,  and    into    kings   strikes   a 

terror  ? 

His  sword  cmakes  them;  like  dust,  his  bow  like  driven  stubble;  20 

3  He    pursues    them,    passes    on    in    safety ;     the    path    with    his 

feet  he  treads  not. '3 

4  Who    has    wrought    and    accomplished    this  ?      He    who    called 

the  generations  from  the  beginning, 
I,  Jhvh,  'who  am*  the  first,  and  with  those  who  come  after  ^am  25 

still*  the  same."'** 

8  But  thou,   Israel,  my  Servant,  Jacob  whom   I  have  chosen, 
Offspring  of  Abraham,   my  friend,  [from   its  remotest  parts,  I 

9  Thou,  whom  I  fetched  from  the  ends  of  the  earth, '^  and  called 
To  whom    I    said :    My  Servant    art    thou,    I    have    chosen    and  30 

have    not  rejected  thee; 


«siS3^8«> 


40,31  "they  run,  and  are  never  weary;  they  go  onward,  and  are  never  faint 

* 
41,5     ^the    •far-off*    lands    saw    it,    and  'feared';     the    ends    of   the    earth    trembled; 
they  approached,  and  came  -together  to  judgment- 


41,10-19  — »**^«Si- 4  36ata^ -!Gs»tE»*<—  68 

41,10   Fear    not,   for    I    am  with  thec;   cast   no   look   of  terror,   for  I 

am  thy  God. 
I   strengthen  thee ;   yea,   I   help  thee  ;  yea,   I   uphold  thee  with 

my   triumphant  right   hand, 
[confounded,  5 

11  Behold,  all   who   were    enraged  at    thee   will    be    ashamed    and 
The  men    who  contended   with   thee  will    become  nought,  and 

perish ; 

12  Thou  wilt  seek  them,  and  not   find  them,  the  men  who  strove 

with  thee;  10 
They   will   become   nought  and  mere    vacancy,    the    men    who 

warred  with   thee. 

13  For  I,  Jhvh,   thy  God,   hold  fast  thy  right  hand, 
I  who  say  to  thee:  Fear  not,  I  help  thee. 

14  Fear  not,  thou  worm  Jacob,  ye  cpuny  worms)  of  Israel ;  15 
I   help  thee,  such   is  Jhvh's  oracle,  and  J  am*  thy  redeemer," 

O   Israel. 

15  Behold,    I    make  of  thee    a    new    threshing-sledge,*    furnished 

with   teeth  ; 
Thou  shalt  thresh   mountains,  and  crush  them,  and  shalt  treat  20 

hills  like  chaff.'* 

16  Thou  shalt  winnow  them,  and  the  wind  shall  carrj'  them  awa\-, 

and  the  tempest  shall  scatter  them ; 
But    thou  wilt    exult    in  Jhvh,  and   of   Israel's   Holy  One  wilt 

thou    make  thy  boast.  25 


17  'The  poor  who  seek  water,  while  there  is   none,  whose  tongue 

is  parched  with  thirst, 
I,  Jhvh,  will  answer;    I,  the  God    of    Israel,  will  not    forsake. 

18  On  bare  hills   I  will  open   rivers,  and  fountains  in  the  midst  of 

valleys.  30 
I    will    make    the  wilderness    a    brimming    lake,    and  dry    land 

channels  of  water. 

19  I  will  set    in  the  wilderness  the  cedar,  the   acacia,   the  m\'rtlc, 

and  the  olive-tree, 


41,  14  "is  the  Holy  One 'of  Israel  ♦    *     15  "a  pointed  instrument    *     17  '  the  afflicted  and 


69  — >-Ms#*af!- 4  3eaia5 -«gS#3*-«^ —  41,20-29 

41  I   will    place    in    the    desert    the    pine,   the    plane-tree,    and  the 

cypress  together,'' 

20  That     men     may    see,    and     acknowledge,     and    consider,    and 

understand  at  once. 
That    Jhvh's    hand    has   done   this,  and  Israel's   Holy  One  has  5 

created  it. 

4.   ©tepufe  Bttroan  t^i  trut  (Bob  anl  t^i  ^aisi  ©ctftea. 

21  TURING  forward  your  suit!  says  Jhvh;'* 
J_J    Produce  your  cidolsj !  says  Jacob's   King. 

22  Let  them  cdraw  near=,  and  announce  to  us  what  shall  happen;  10 
The  former   events,   how  they  were  foretold, '^  do  ye   announce, 

that  we  may  reflect  upon  them ! 

Or   else    the   future   events   do   ye    declare   to   us,  that   we  may 

mark  their  issue  ; 

23  Announce  the  things  that   are  to    come   hereafter,   that  we  may  15 

know  that  ye  are  gods ; 
Yea,  do  something,  either   good   or   bad,  that  we   may  at  once 

marvel,  and  have  somewhat   to  see. 

24  Behold,  ye  are  nought,  and    your  work  is  cnothingness)." 

25  I    roused    up    one    from    the    North,    and    he    came ;     from    the  20 

rising  of  the  sun,   one  who  calls  upon  my  Name, 
That  he   may  ttrample^  governors  like  mortar,  and   as   a   potter 

who  treads  clay. 

26  Who  announced  this   from  the   beginning,  that  we  might  know 

it?  and  from  aforetime,  that  we  might  say:    Right. ^°  25 
None  was  there  who  announced  it,  none  who  declared  it,  none 

who  heard   your  words. 

27  I,    the    first    one,   tannouncedj  it    to    Zion,    and    to    Jerusalem    I 

gave  a  harbinger  of  good  news.''' 

28  But    when    I    tlooked    abouti,  there    was    no    one,    and    among  30 

those  ♦vain  gods*  there  was  none  who  prophesied. 
So  that  I  might  ask  them,   and  they  might  give  an  answer.      j 

29  Behold,   they  all  are  \anity ;   their  work   is  nothing  worth ;   wind 

and  vacancy  are  their  molten   images. ^^ 


41.24  "an  abomination  is  he  who  chooses  yo'i 


5.    d^onfraef  Sttnun  t^i  ibtai  Ml  tU  attuat  ^av&d. 

42,1  "TyKHOLD,   my  Servant^'  vvhom   I   uphold; 
JU    M\-  chosen,  in  whom  my  soul  delights; 
I    ha\e  put   my  spirit    upon    hini, 
He   will  set   forth    the   law  to  the   nations.-* 

2  He   will  not   ci')'  aloud,   nor  ^roar*    *as  a   lion*, 
Nor  cause  his  voice  to  be  heard  in  the  street. 

3  A  cracked  reed  he  will  not  break, 
And  a  dimly  burning  wick  he  will  not  quench.^' 

Faithfully   will  he  set  forth  the  law ; 

4  He  will  not  burn  dimly  nor  be  crushed  'in   spirit*, 
Till  he  have  set  the  law  in  the  earth, 
And  for  his  instruction  the    -tfar*  countries  wait.^* 

5  Thus  says  Jhvh,'?' 

He  who  created  the  heavens,  and  stretched   them  forth,  15 

Who  spread  out  firmly  the  earth  with  the  products  thereof. 
Who  gives  breath  to  the  folk   upon   it,  and  spirit  to  those  who 

walk  thereon  ; 

6  I,  Jhvh,    have    called    thee    in    righteousness,    and  ihave    taken 

holdi   of  thy   hand,  20 
And  iformedi  thee,  and  'seti  thee  as  a  covenant  for  ♦the  human- 
folk,  as  a  light  of  the  nations, 

7  Opening  blind  eyes,   tand  unclosing  deaf  earsj. 

Bringing    out   captives   from   confinement,  and   from   the   prison- 
house  those  who  sit   in  darkness ;  25 

8  I  am  Jhvh,  that  is   my  Name,  [images. 
And    my  honor  will    I    not    give    to    another,   nor    my  praise  to 

9  The  former  events,   behold,  they  are  come,  and  new  things  do 

I  ainiounce ; 
Before  they  spring  forth   -into  being*,   I  tell  you  of  them.=^  30 

10  Sing  to  Jhvh   a  new  song, 

And    His   praise  from   the  end  of  the  earth ; 
T^et)   the  sea   troan,   and  all   that  is   therein, 
The  -far*  countries  *by  the  sea*  anti  the  inhabitants   thereof 


42,  5  "the  -true'  God 


71  -^<««*e€Cif  4  36'i»a5 -^Bsia** —  42,11-21 

42,11  Let  the  wilderness  and  the  cdesert  rejoico, 
The  villages  which   Kedar  inhabits ; 
Let  Sela's  inhabitants  exult. 
From  the  top  of  +their+   mountains   let  them  shout  amain  ;" 

13  Jhvh   goes  forth  like  a  hero,  5 
Like  a  warrior  He  stirs   up   'His*   rage, 

He  gives  a  cry,  a  piercing  battle-cry, 
Upon  His  foes   He  proves   Himself  a  hero. 

14  I  have  been   long  time  silent,=9  I   have  been  still,  and  restrained 

myself;  10 
*Nowt   like    a    woman   in   travail   will    I    groan,  I    will   both   pant 

and  gasp. 

15  I    will    lay  waste    mountains    and    hills,    and    all    their    herbage 

will   I   dry  up; 
I  will  turn   rivers  into  islands,  and  pools  will  I  dry  up;  15 

16  And    I  will  lead   the  blind   on   the  way ;"    in    paths  which  they 

know  not  will   I   guide  them ; 
I  will  turn  darkness  into  light  before  them,  and  rugged  ground 

into  level. 

17  These  are   the    promises  which   I  will    not  omit    to   fulfil.     They  20 

will  *then  surely+  draw  backward;  they  will  be  tclothed  with;  shame, 
who  trust  in  graven  images,  who  say  to  molten  images :  Ye  are  our 
gods. 


18  Ye  deaf,   hear;  and  ye  bhnd,   look   up,   that  ye  may  see.3° 

19  Who   is   blind'  but  <the   Servants   of   Jhvh>,   and  deaf  as  <their 

rulers*.''  25 

20  Much  hast  thou  seen,  without  observing  it;    *thou+  whose    ears 

were  open,  yet  didst  <thou>  not  hear! 

21  Jhvh  was  pleased,  for    His    righteousness'  sake   to    make  ^His* 

instruction  great  and  glorious,3" 


42,12    "Let  them  render  glory  to  Jhvh, 

And  declare  His  praise  in  the  •far-ofF*  lands. 
* 
i6a  *  which  they  know  not 

* 
19    '<>  as  the  Servant  of  Jhvh  *  ''as  my  messenger  whom  I  send 


42,22-43.7  — »*«s^j3!- 4  3eaia^  •'S*'*^**-'^  72 

42,22   Yet  it  is  tstilU  a  people  spoiled  and  plundered,  [houses; 

iThey    are     all     snaredi    lin    diingeonsi.^'    and    hid     in    prison- 
They  are  become  a  spoil,  and  there  is  no  rescuer;    a  plunder, 

and  there   is   none  who  says :   Restore. 

23  Who    among  you  will  give  ear    to   this,   will    attend,    and  hear  5 

for  the  time  to  come? 

24  Who  gave  up  Jacob  to   iplunderersj,   and    Israel   to   spoilers," 

25  And  poured  out  upon   him    the  heat  of    His   anger,  and  tHisj 

violence  dike  a  flame, 
So  that   it    scorched    him  round  about,   but  he  marked  it  not ;  10 
and  it  burned   him,   but  he  laid  it  not  to  heart? 

43,1    And    now,   thus    says    Jhvh,   thy    Creator,   O    Jacob,    and  thy 

Fashioner,   O  Israel ; 
Fear  not,  I   redeem  thee  ;   I   call  thee  by  name,   mine   art  thou. 

2  When    thou    passest    through   waters  I  will  be   with   thee,  and  15 

rivers  shall  not  overflow  thee, 
When    thou    goest    through    fire   thou    shalt    not    be  scorched, 

neither  shall    flame  burn  thee. 

3  For  I,     Jhvh,     am    thy     God ;     ♦!♦,   Israel's     Holy    One,     thy 

deliverer;  20 
I  give  Egypt   as  thy  ransom,   Ethiopia  and   Seba  for  thee," 

4  Since  thou  art   precious   in  mine   eyes ;    thou  art  honored,  and 

I   love  thee  ; 
I  will    give   the  +far*    tcountries^    in   thy    stead,   and  peoples  for 

thy    life.  25 

5  ^From    lands   of  the    sunrise    I    bring    thy   offspring,  and    from 

lands  of  the  sunset  I   gather  thee ; 

6  I  say  to  the  North :   Give  up !  and  to  the  South :  Withhold  not ! 
Bring  my  sons  from  far,  and  my  daughters  from  the   ends   of 

the  earth,  30 

7  Every    one    who    is    called    by    my   name,   and   whom   for   my 

glory  I   have'  formed  and  made. 

■atasss^ssfo- 

42,24  "Was  it  not  Jhvh,  He  against  whom  we  sinned,  and  in  whose  ways  they  would 
not  walk,  and  to  whose  instruction  they  were  not  obedient  ? 
* 
43,  S-''  "Fear  not,   I  am  with  thee  7  'created 


6.    ^Bv&it,  eoen  iv^en  fiftni,  muet  Bear  mifneee 

for  the  true  God  against  the  false  gods  ;   the  arsfument  from  prophecy  repeated. 


43,8  cTTO',  ye    people    with    eyes,  but    blind,   and    ye    with    ears, 
JTl    but  deaf! 3" 

***************        *        *       *5 
.)(.**************        *        *        * 
9  <Let)  all    the  nations  cassemble  themselves> ,  and  let  the  peoples 

gather  together. 
Who  among  them  can  announce  such  things,  and  <as  the  first 

one^^s   ideclare  it  to   usi?  10 
Let   them   produce    their    witnesses,   that  they  may  be  .proved* 
in  the  right,  and  that  two   may  hear,   and   say :   It  is  truth. 

10  Ye    are    my  witnesses,    says    Jhvh,    and  imy  Servantsi  whom   I 

have  chosen. 
That  ye  may  acknowledge  and  believe  me,   and  discern  that    I  15 

am   He  .who*   works;  s* 
Before  me  no  God  was  formed,  nor  shall  there  be  after  me. 

11  I,   I  am  Jhvh,  and  beside  me  there  is  no  deliverer. 

12  It  was   I    who  *both*    announced  ^>  and    declared, —  there    was 
no  strange  god  among  you  ;3'  ye  are  my  witnesses,  says  Jhvh,    and  20 

13  I    am    cyour    redeemer^  <from  the  beginning>,°  and    none    can    rescue 
out  of  my  hand;    when  I   work,   who  can   hinder  it? 


7.    5aff  of  (gafijfon  anJ  t^i  ^cconb   &xoi\ia. 

14  ''  I  ^HUS  says  Jhvh,  your  redeemer,  Israel's   Holy  One: 

A      F"or  your  sake  have  I  sent  to  Babylon 25 

15  I,  Jhvh,  your  Holy  One,  the  Creator  of  Israel,  your  King. 

16  Thus  says  Jhvh  :*****  [waters, 
Who    opens    a    way  in    the    sea,   and    a    path     in     the     mighty 

I-  Who  brings  forth  chariot  and  horse,  <a  larger  and  potent  host;  30 
Together  they  lie  down,  they  cannot  arise,  they  are  quenched, 

they  have  gone  out  like  a  wick. 3* 

[not ! 
18  Remember  not  former  things,   and  things  of  old    time  consider 


43,  13  "  I  am  He 


43, '9-44,3  — »*«Si«**- 4  3B'»ta6 -sBJJta** —  74 


43,19  Heboid,   I   accomplish  a  new  thing;    already  it  springs  fort 

Do  ye  not  perceive  it? 
Yea,    I    will    set    a  way   in    the    wilderness,    ♦and.    ri\-ers    in   the 

desert ; 
20  Wild   beasts  of   the    field  will    honor    me,   the    jackals    and  the  5 

ostriches/ 

8.    Z^t  Bovt)   pfcafta  wit^  carefeee  ^^i^o^f- 

22  A/'ET    not    upon   me    hast    thou    called, 1°    O    Jacob,    ♦nor*  o 

X    about  me  hast  thou   wearied  thyself,   O   Israel ; 

23  Thou    hast    not  brought  me  the  sheep    of  thy  burnt-offerings,  10 

nor  honored  me  with  thy  sacrifices. 
•Truly,   I    burdened  thee    not    with  offerings,   nor  wearied  thee 

with  incense, 

24  ♦Yet.    thou    boughtest    me    not    sweet    cane    with    money,    nor 

with  the  fat  of  thy  sacrifices  didst  thou   satisfy  me;  15 
Burdens,   nothing  else,   hast    thou    given    me  by  thy  sins,    and 

weariness  b}'  th)-  iniquities, 

25  ^Yet*    I    myself   am   He    who   blots    out    thy    rebellions,'''*    and 

thy  sins   I   remember  not. 

26  Put    me    in    mind,   let    us  plead    together;    recount  thou,    that  20 

thou  mayest  be  justified. 

27  Thy  first  father  sinned,'''  and  thy  mediators-'s  rebelled  against  me, 
2S  'And  thy  princes  profaned  my  sanctuary  •■'•'     *     *     »      *      * 

iSo  I  gave  up'  Jacob  to  the  ban,   and   Israel  to  contumely. 

44 , 1    And    now  hear,    O  Jacob,    my    Servant,   and    Israel    whom    I  25 

hate  chosen ; 

2  Thus   says  Jhvh,  thy  Creator,  and    He  who  formed   thee  from 

the  womb,  who   helps  thee : 
Fear    not    my  S.ervant,   Jacob,   and    thou,    Jeshurun,-*-^  whom    I 

have  chosen:  30 

3  I  will  pour  water  upon   the  thirsty,  and   streams    upon  the  dry 

ground. 
I   will    pour    my  spirit  "">  upon    thy  posterity,   and    m>-   blessing 

upon  thy  offspring. 


43,  20b    '  For  I  give  waters  in  the  wilderness,  streams  in  the  desert,  to  yield  drink  to  my 

31     people,    my   chosen.     The    people   which    I   have  formed   for  myself,   they   will 

proclaim   my  praise.  25  *for  my  own  sake 


75  ^**B|^as- 4  36<»ta5 -s®*^***—  44,4-13 

44.4  So   that    they  spring    up  <as   grass>  amidst  <waters>,  as  willows 

by   water-courses. 

5  One  will    say:    I    am  Jhvh's;  and    another   will   .name    himselfi 

by  the  name  of  Jacob, 
And    another  will    mark  <on5   his    hand :    Jhvh's,'"    and  <receive  5 
;'.  the  surname>  Israel.'''* 

9.  ^6«  eofe  Jtotnitp  of  t^i  Botl  propel  6p  l^te  pvopUcne. 

(With  a  later  insertion  on  Idolatry) 

6  'nr^HUS    says    Jhvh,  the    King    of   Israel,  yea,   his  redeemer,' 

A    Jhvh  Sabaoth :  10 

I    am   the    first   and   the    last,  and   beside   me  there   is   no   God. 

7  And   who   is    like   me?  <let   him   stand    forth,   and-  cry;   let  him 

declare  it,   and   set  it  in  order  before  me  ! 
(Who    has   announced   very  long   since>  the    future  ?    and    things 

that  are   to  come  let  +the  vain  gods*  declare  <to  us> !  15 

8  Shudder    not,     nor    tbe     disquieted^ ;      have     I     not     long    ago 

declared'  and  announced  it? 
Ye  are  my  witnesses.    Is  there  a  God*  <or>  a  Rock  <beside  me)  ? 

9  Those''''  who  fashion  images  are  all    of  them  dike*  chaos,   and 

their  precious  things  are  unprofitable,  20 
Their    .own*   witnesses    neither    see    nor    perceive    -anything*  — 

that  they  may  be  put  to  shame. 

10  Who  dares  fashion  a  god,   and  cast  an  image,   to  no  profit? 

11  Behold,    all    his    icharmersi    will    be    put    to    shame,    and    ihisi 

enchanters^"  cwill  be  confounded;.  25 
Let  them  all  assemble,  -and*  stand  forth;  they  will  all  shudder, 

and  be  shamed. 

12  The  smith  prepares  it  over  the  burning  coals,  and  with  ham- 
He  prepares  it  with  his  strong  arm  ;  [mers  fashions  it. 
He    becomes    hungry    also,    and    has    no    'more*    strength ;     he  30 

drinks  no  water,  and  is  faint. 

13  The  carpenter  stretches  out  a  line,  [<with  a  carving  tool>,'' 
He  'determines  the  proportions>  with  a  stilus,  he  shapes  it  * 
And  makes  it  like  the  human  figure,  hke  the  beauty  of  a  man, 

to  dwell  in  a  house.  35 

44.  S  -to  thee  *  beside  me 

*  * 

13  'he  makes  it  ''with  compasses 


44.14-23  ^<-M3|*i6a<- 4  3Baia§ -!ias*6*i.'—  76 

44,14 cedars,  and  took  an  ilex, 

An  oak,  too,  he  reared   up  for  his  use  among  the  trees  of  the 
He  planted  a  pine,  and  the  rain  nourished  it.  [forest; 

15  So  it   served  for  a  man  to  burn ; 

He  kindled  a  fire  therewith,  and  warmed  himself;  5 

He  heated  the  oven  also,  and  baked  bread  ; 
Yea,   he   formed    it  -into-  a  tjod,   and   prostrated    himself;    made 
it  into  an   image,   and  bowed  down  to  it. 

16  Half  of  it  he  has  burned  in  the  fire,  [and  is  satisfied ; 
And  <upon  the  coals  thereof-  he  roasts  flesh ;  he  eats  the  roast,  10 
He    warms    himself  also,    and    says:    Aha!    I   am   warm,   I   feel 

the  glow ; 

17  And  the  residue  of  it  he  has  made  into  a  god,  .into  an  image, 

and  bows  down  to  it> ; 
He  prostrates  himself,  and  prays  to  it,  and  says :     Rescue  me,  15 

for  thou  art  my  God  ! 

18  They  have  no  perception   nor  discernment. 

For    their    eyes   <are    bedaubed),  past    seeing,    and    their    minds 

past  comprehending. 

19  And  he  considers  not,  nor  is  there   knowledge  or  sense  to  say :  20 
Half  thereof  I   have  burned  in  the  fire,  [ate, 

1  have   also   baked    bread    upon   its   coals,   I    roasted    flesh,  and 

And    of  the    remainder   thereof   shall    I    make  an  abomination? 

to  a  wooden  cimage>  shall   I  bow  down? 

20  Whoso  troubles    himself  for  ashes,    a  deluded   heart   has  turned  25 

him  aside. 
That    he    cannot    rescue    himself,  nor    say:    Is    there    not   a    lie 

in   my   right   hand? 

21  Remember  these  things,'^'  O  Jacob;  -yea,  heed  them.,  O    Israel, 

for  thou    art    my  Servant;  30 
I   have  formed  thee,  a  Servant  art  thou   to  me;   O  Israel,  thou 

wilt  not  trenounce>  me! 

22  I  have    blotted    out   as    a  mist   thy  rebellions,  and    as    a   cloud 
Return  to  me,   I   have   redeemed  thee.  [thy  sins; 

23  Be   triumphant,   O   heavens;  Jhvh   has  finished  .His  work.!         35 
Shout,   O  depths  of  the  earth  ! 

Break  forth,   O  mountains,   into  cries  of  triumph  ! 

O  forest,   and  e\'cry  tree  therein  ! 

For  Jhvh   has   redeemed  Jacob, 

And  glorifies   Himself  in   Israel!  ,4° 


77  -^-»«3|eaSs-  4  ']eaia^  -«5J3|6*(i-.—  44  ,  24  -  45  ,  3 

to.  £pru6  conquera  for  t^t  eafie  of  (Bob  ani  of  Jeracf. 

44, 24 '  I  ^HUS     says     Jhvh,    thy     redeemer,    and     He    who    formed 
1      thee  from  the  womb : 
I  am  Jhvh,   who  wrought  everything, 

Who  stretched  forth  the  heavens,    alone,   who  spread  forth  the  5 

earth  —  owho  was  with  mea  ?  — 

25  Who    brings    to    nought    the    omens     of    the     impostors,    and 

makes  the  diviners   ♦of  Babylon*  mad, 
Who    turns    the    wise    backward,    and    makes    their    knowledge 

folly,  10 

26  Who    ratifies    the    word    of   His  <servants>,    and'    the    prophecy 

of  His  messengers, 5' 
Saying  of  Jerusalem :   Be  it  inhabited !  and  cof>  the  Temple :  Be 

thy  foundations   laid  ! 
And  of  the  cities  of  Judah :    Let  them  be  built !  and  the  ruins  15 

of  the   land  will   I   raise   up ; 

27  Who   says   to   the   flood :    Be  dry !   and   thy  rivers   will   I   parch 

up; 

28  Who    says    of   Cyrus :    My  ifriendi"  .is    he*,    and    all    my  pur- 

poses  will   he  accomplish. 5**  20 

45,1  Thus    says    Jhvh    to    His    anointed,    to    Cyrus, 5?    whose    right 

hand   I   have  grasped, 
That    nations  cmay  be    terror-stricken>  before    him,    and    that    I 

may  ungird  the  loins  of  kings. 
To  open  doors  before  him,  and  that  gates  may  not  be  closed;  25 

2  I   myself  will  go  before  thee;    cways)  will   I   make  level. 
Doors    of  bronze    will    I    break    in    pieces, 5*  and    bars    of    iron 

cut  in  sunder; 

3  And  I   will  give  thee  the  treasures  of  darkness  and  the  hoards 

of  secret  places ;'  30 
For  it  is   I,  Jhvh,   who  calls   thee    by  thy  name,   *!♦,  the  God 

of  Israel. 57 


44,  26  -accomplishes 
* 
28  ^«who»  say«s-  of  Jerusalem:  Let  it  be  built!  and  iof>  the  Temple :  Be  thy  founda- 
tions laid  ! 
* 
45  ,  3  '  that  thou  mayest  acknowledge 


45.4-14  — »-j-!i^«:a<- 4  38010? -W**^**^- —  78 

45,4   For  the  sake  of  Jacob,   my  Servant,  and  Israel,  my  Chosen, 
I    called   thee   by   thy   name;    I   -took   delight  in>  thee,   though 

thou  knewest  me  not.  <  [°]  > 

5  I    am    Jhvh,   and   there   is   none  else;    beside    me   there    is    no 

God[];  5 

6  That  men  ma\-  acknowledge,  both  in  the  east  and  in  the  west. 
That    there    is     none   beside  me  —  I    am    Jhvh,    and    there    is 

none  else — 

7  Who    forms    light,    and    creates    darkness,  who  makes  welfare, 

and  creates  calamity ,s^  10 
I,   Jii\ii,   -the  *true*   God-,   am   the  author  of  all   this. 
,s    Shower,   ye   heavens,   from  above. 
And   let  the  sky  rain   righteousness  ! 
Let  the  earth   open  <its  womb>, 

And  cbear  the  fruit  of>  deliverance     *     »     *  15 

And  <let  it>  cause  victory  to  spring  up  also ! 
I,  Jhvh,   have  created  this. 55 

9    Woe    unto    him   who    strives    with    Him    who    formed    him,    a 
potsherd  like  mother*  potsherds  of  earth  1"° 
Does    the   clay  say   to  him  who  moulds  it:    What   canst   thou  20 
make?    and  <his  work>:  <Thou  hast>  no  hands! 

10  Woe  unto   him   who  says  to  a  father:  What  canst  thou  beget? 

and  to  a  woman:   What  canst  thou   bring  forth? 

11  Thus  .says  Jhvh,  the   Holy  One  of  Israel,  and  He  who  formed 

it :  25 
Of  things   to   come  twill    ye   question,  me  !    and  concerning   the 
work  of  my   hands"  will  ye  lay  commands  upon  me! 

12  I   m\,-self  made  the  earth,  and  man   upon  it   I  created. 

My  hands  have  stretched  out  the  heavens,  and    upon  all  their 

host   have  I   laid  commands.  30 

13  «So'   it    was   I  who    aroused    him    in    righteousness,   and    all    his 

wa)-s  will  I  make  level; 
He  will  build   my   city,   and   my  exiled  ones    will    he   set    free.' 


14 


Thus  says  Jhvh   <Sabaoth. :    The  texiles>  of  Egypt,      [stature,^'' 
And     the    ccaptives)    of    Ethiopia,    and    the    Sabeans,    men    of  35 


45  .5''  "I  s'irdtd  thee,  though  thou  knewest  me  not 
* 
II  "concerning  my  sons*' 

13  'not  for  price,  and  not  for  reward,  says  Jhvh  Sabaoth 


z      ^ 


79  — »*e*S»- 4  Ssata? -^SS^es** —  45.15-25 

45         Before  thee  will  pass,"     *      *      *      *      » 

And  to  thee  will  they  bow  down,   to  thee  will  they  pray,*3 
♦Saying*:    Only  in    thee    is   God,  and   beside   there   is    none,   no 

Godhead  at  all ; 

15  Truly  cwith    thee^   God    hides   Himself,*^  the  God    of   Israel    is  5 

a  deliverer! 

16  Ashamed,  yea,  confounded  are  all  <who  rose  up  against  Him>; 
Together  are  gone  into  confusion  the  <idol> -making  craftsmen. 

17  tBut*  Israel  has  received  from  Jhvh  an  everlasting  deliverance; 

Ye  shall  not  be  ashamed  nor  confounded  to  all  eternity.  10 

18  For  thus  says  Jhvh,   the  Creator   of  the  heavens, —  He  is  the 

♦true*   God; 
The   Former  and  Maker  of  the  earth, —  He  established  it, 
Not  as  a  waste  did   He  create   it,   to   be   inhabited   He  formed 
(I  am  Jhvh,   and  there  is   none  else.  [it.**  15 

19  Not  in  secref's  have  I   spoken,   in*  the  land  of  darkness,** 
Nor  have  I  said    to    the   posterity  of  Jacob:    Seek  that  which 

<I>,    I,  Jhvh,  promise  truly,   +andt  announce  rightly.       [is  vain; 

20  Assemble,   and  come ;    draw  near    together,  ye  of  the    nations 

who  have  escaped !  20 
No  knowledge  have  they  who  bear  about  their  wooden  idols, *' 
And  pray  to  a  god  who  cannot  deliver.         [counsel  together! 

21  Announce  ye    and    produce  *your    idols*;    let    them    also    take 
Who    has    declared    this    from    ancient    times,  +andt    long    ago 

has  announced  it?  25 
Is  it  not  I,  Jhvh?  and  there  is  no  God  beside  me, 
A  God  who  speaks  truth  and  delivers,  there  is  not  beside  me. 

22  Turn  to  me,  and  receive  deliverance,  all  ye  ends  of  the  earth, 
For  I  am   God,  and  there  is  none  else. 

23  By  myself  have  I  sworn,  [not  be  recalled,  30 
A  true    word   has  gone  out   of  my    mouth,   a  word  that  shall 
That  to  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every   tongue  shall    swear. 

24  Only  through  Jhvh   has  Jacob;  victories  and  strength ; 
'Together  will  they  perish),  and  be  put    to    shame  —  all    those 

who  were  incensed  against  him,  35 

25  tBut*  in    Jhvh   will    triumph,  and  *in    Him*    make    their    boast, 

all  who  spring  from   Israel. 

45,  14  "and  become  thine;  after  thee  will  they  sjo,  in  chains  will  they  pass 
* 
19  *  a  place  of 


46  ,  I  -  12  — »*«#6@5c  4  36aia^  -jSi*9-^*«-» —  8o 

n.    ZU  ©ctftee  of  Q0a6jfon  anb  t()i  (Bob  of  [ievAd  contvaeM.^^ 

46,1     T3  ML   lias  bowed  down,    Nebo  <ha.s  crouched>,''' 
Their  -L/    images    have    passed    to    the    beasts    and    to    the    cattle ; 
that  which  ye  bore  about ''°  is  carried  as  a  burden,  a  burden  for  the 
jaded  «beast*.  5 

2  They  have  crouched,  they  ha\'e  bowed  down  together; 
They,  'the  gods*,  could  not  rescue  the  burden, 

But  are  themselves  gone  into  captivity. 

3  Hearken    to    me,   O    House   of  Jacob,   and   all   the    remnant    of 

the   House  of  Israel,  10 
Who    have   been    carried    as   a    load    from  the  birth,   who    have 
been   borne'"  from   the  mother's   womb, — 

4  Even    to    old    age    I    am    the    same,  even    to    gray    hairs    I    will 

support   ♦you*, 
I   have  tcarried  the  burden),   and   I   will  •stilh   bear,   yea,   I   will  15 

support  and   rescue  *you». 

5  To   whom   will   ye   liken    and    equal   me,   and  compare   me,   that 

we  may  be   like? 

6  +Behold*  those  who  <contribute>  gold   from    the    bag,   and  weigh 

silver  in   the  balance,  20 
They  hire  a  goldsmith,  that  he  make  a  god  thereof;    they  fall 

down  —  aye,  prostrate  themselves, 

7  They   bear    it    upon    the    shoulder    laden    therewith,   and    set   it 
tThere  it  standsi,   not  moving  from  its  place;  [on  its  base. 

Yea,   let  a  man  cry  to  it,   it  neither   answers,   nor   rescues   him  25 

out  of  his  trouble. 

8  Remember  ye  this,  and    own*  yourselves  <guilty>;  lay  it  to  heart, 

9  Remember  the  former  things  in   distant  ages,        [ye  apostates ! 
For  I   am  God,   and  there  is    none   else, —  divine,  and   there   is 

none   like  me, —  30 

10  Who    has   announced   the   latter   end   from    the   beginning,  and 

from  ancient  times  things  before  they  happened. 
Who   has  said:    My  purpose  shall    stand,   and    all    my  pleasure 

will    I   perform  ; 

11  Who    has    called    from    the    East   a   bird  of   prey,   the    man    of  35 

His  purpose  from   a  far  country, — 
As   I   have  spoken,   I   will  bring  to  pass;   as   I   have  planned,   I 

will  accomplish. 

12  Hearken  to  me,  ye  <discouraged>  ones,   who  are   far  from   ^the 

thought  of  Israel's*  victory ; ''  40 


8i  —^^Hs^msf  ^ 'ieaia^  ■^Bm*i~—  46,13-47.10 

46,13  I   have  brought  near  my  *gift  of*  victory,   it  is  not  far  off,  and 

my  dehverance  will  not  tarry; 
I  appoint  in  Zion  deliverance,   ^and*   for  Israel  my  glory. 


12.    ^ong  of  ©meton  upon  (^afijfon. 

47,1  /^^OME  down,   and   sit  in   the   dust,    ||   O  virgin   Babylon!"     5 
\^^   Throneless,   sit  on  the   ground,    ||    O   maiden  Chaldea!        j 
For  thou   shalt  be  called    nevermore  ||  The  Tender,  The  Dainty. 
2  Take  the  mill-stones,   and  grind  meal ;    ||   put  back  thy  veil. 
Lift  up  the  train,   bare  the   leg,'['']>  ||  wade  through  streams.  [] 

3.4  clrreversible>  vengeance  will   I   take,    ||   csays>  our  redeemer, —       10 
Jhvh  Sabaoth  is   His  name,    ||    Israel's   Holy  One. 

5  Sit  silent,  be  closed  in  darkness,  ||  O  maiden  Chaldea !    [doms. 
For   thou   shalt   be   called    nevermore   ||   The   Mistress  of  King- 

6  I  was  wroth  with   my  people,  ||    ^and*  profaned  my  heritage, 

I   gave   them  to  thee,   tbut*  thou    showedst   them  ||  no   compas-  15 
On  the  aged  thou  madest  thy  yoke  ||  to  press  heavily.''-'    [sion, 

7  And    thou    saidst:    I    shall    last    for    ever,    ||    ♦yea,    be*    mistress 

perpetually. 

Thou  didst  not  lay  this  to  thy  heart,  ||  nor  think  of  the  future. 

t 

\ 

8  And   now  hear  this,  O  Voluptuous   One,  ||  who  sittest  securely,  20 
Who  sayest  in  thy  heart:  ||  I,  and  none  but  me! 

T  shall  not  sit  in  widowhood,  ||  nor  know  the  loss  of  children;-: 

9  Therefore    shall    come    to    thee   both    of  these    ||    in    a  moment 

♦and*  in   the  same  day : 
•  Loss  of  children  and  widowhood,   in  full  measure   ||   shall  they  25 
f  come  upon  thee. 

Despite    the    vast    number    of  thy    spells,    ||    despite    thy    many 

enchantments, 
10  And    ^though*    thou    wast    secure    in    thy    wickedness,    ||    and 
j  saidst :    None   sees  me.  30 


tLo=,  thy  wisdom,  thy  knowledge,  |)  this  has  turned  thee  aside, 
So  that  thou  saidst  in  thy  heart:  ||  I,   and  none  but  me! 


47 , 3»  "  bared  be  thy  nakedness  ;   yea,   let  thy  shame   be  seen 


47.11-48,4  -^>*f^es»- 'I  'ieaia^ -m^m**—  82 

47,11  Therefore  a  -demon  of*  calamity  shall    fall   upon  thee   ||    whom 

thou   art   powerless  to  appease, 
And  suddenly  a  crushing  storm   shall   come  <>,  ||  which   thou   art 

unskilled  ^to*      *     *   . 

12  Pray,   persist    in   thy  spells,  ||  and  in  thy   many  enchantments;"  5 
Perchance    thou    canst    help    somewhat,   ||  perchance    thou    wilt 

strike  terror  ! 

13  Self-wearied  art  thou  with  counsels;  ||  pray,  let  them  stand  forth. 
Yea,    let    them    deliver    thee,   the   sdividersi   of   heaven,"    ||   the 

gazers   on   stars,  10 
Who    make    known,   each    new    moon,    ||    whence  -troubles,  are 

coming !  ^ 

14  Behold,  they   are  become  like  stubble  ||  which  fire  has  burned. 
They    cannot    rescue    their    own    life    ||    from   the   grasp   of  the 

flame;*  15 

15  Such  are  they  become  to  thee  ||  about  whom  thou  didst  trouble 

thyself'   from   thy   youth    up, 
They  flee  staggering,  every  one  straight  onward;  ||  there  is  none 

to  save  thee! 

13.    'Zlii  new  ani  tU  of&  (propS^cus.??  20 

48,1  T   T  EAR  ye  this,   O    House  of  Jacob, 

1.    1    Who   are   called   by  the   name  of  Israel,  and  have  come 

forth   from   the  cloinsi  of  Judah, 
Who    swear  by  the    Name  of  Jhvh,   and  celebrate  the    God  of 

Israel, —  25 

2  Not    indeed    truthfully    nor    rightly, —  for    they    call    themselves 

after  the    Holy   City, 
And    stay    themselves    on    Israel's    God,    whose    name    is    Jhvh 

3  The  former  things  I  announced  long  ago  ;  [Sabaoth. 
From    my    mouth    came    they    forth,     and    I    tdcclaredi    them;  30 

suddenly  I   wrought,   and  they  came, 

4  Because    I    knew    that    thou    wast   obstinate,   and    thy  neck   an 
And  thy  forehead   brass.  [iron  band, 


47,12  "about  which  thou  didst  trouble  thyself  from  thy  youth 
* 

14  *it  is  not  a  coal  for  giving  warmth,  nor  a  fire  to  sit  before 

* 

15  'thy  traffickers 


83  ^*-M=«6S>  4  3B<ita{!  -«»Bsa*<—  48,5-17 

48,5    And    I    announced    it    to    thee    long    ago,    before    it    came     I 

showed   it  to   thee, 

Lest    thou    shouldst    say :     My    idol    has    wrought  it,  and    my 

gra\en  and   my  molten   image   has   appointed   it. 

6  Thou   hast  heard   it;      ....      ;   and  cthom,   wilt   thou    not  5 

bear  witness  tO)  it? 
New  events  I  declare  to  thee  henceforth,  »yea*  <difficult>  things 

which  thou   hast   not  known. 

7  Now  have  they  been  created,  not  of  old,  and  in   former   times 

thou   heardest  them   not,  10 
Lest  thou   shouldst  say:    Behold,    I    knew  them. 

8  Thou   hast  neither    heard    nor    known    them,    nor   cwas^    thine 

ear  openced>  heretofore, 
For     I    knew  that    thou    wast    indeed    treacherous,    and    wast 

called:   Apostate  from   The   Birth,  15 

9  For  my   Name's  sake   I   defer  mine  anger,  and  because  of  my 

praise  I  cam  indulgent>  to  thee,  that  I   may  not  cut  thee  off. 

10  Surely  I   have  refined  thee,  but  without  gain  of  silver;    I   have 

tried  thee  in   the   furnace  <in   vain>. 

11  For  cmy   Name's^  sake   will   I   do   it, —  [not  give.  20 
For  how  is    it    desecrated! — and    my   glory   to   another   I    will 

12  Hearken  to  me,  O  Jacob;  'give  ear*,  O  Israel,  my  Called   One: 
I   am  He  *who  works*,   I   first,   I   also   last,    [out  the   heavens ; 

13  Yea,  my  hand  founded   the   earth,   and    my   right   hand   spread 
When   I   call  to  them,   they  stand  forth   together.  25 

14  Assemble  yourselves,   all   of  you,  and  hear;    who  among  them 

has  announced  this, 
"♦Who*  thas   brought   him>  to   accomplish   his  pleasure  on  Baby- 
lon, and  etc  cause)  his  arm  cto  be  known   in)  Chaldea? 

15  I   myself  have  spoken,   and  also  called   him,  brought  him,  and  30 

<made   his  way  prosper>. 

16  "From  the  beginning    I    have   not    spoken    in    secret,    from    the 

time  that  cJhvh   declared  it    to  mc).^^' 

17  Thus   says  Jhvh,   thy  redeemer,    Israel's   Holy   One, 

I,    Jhvh,    am    thy    God,    who    teaches    thee    to    do     what     is  35 

*indeed*  profitable, 


48,14  "Jhvh  16  "Draw  ye  near  to  me,   hear  ye  this 

* 
16  'And  now   has   the  Lord  Jhvh  sent  m?  aid   Kis  spirit 


48,18-494  ^-»*eS«^)s- 4  36ataS -«S»§a*« —  84 

48,1s    Who  leads  thee  in  the  way  thou   shouldst  go.      Oh,  that  thou 

wouldst   hearken   to   my   commands! 
Then    would    thy    peace    abound    like    a    river,    and    thy   pros- 
perity like  the   waves   of  the  sea, 

19  And   thy  posterity  would  be  tcountless*  as  the   sand,    and   thy  5 

offspring    as  the  <dust  of  the   earth> ;  ^9 
<Then  also>  would  its  name    not  be  cut  off  nor  destroyed  from 

before  me. 

20  Go  ye   out  from   Babylon,  ||  flee  ye  from   Chaldea  ; 

With   sounds   of  triumph   declare  it,  ||  and   make   it  heard  ;  10 

Cause  it  to  go  forth  ||  to  the  end  of  the  earth, 
Say:   Jhvh   has  redeemed  ||  His  Servant,  Jacob: 

21  They  thirsted  not,  ||  when  through   deserts   He   led   them. 
Water  from  the   rock  ||  He  caused  to  flow  for  them. 

He  cleft  the  rock,  ||  so  that  water  gushed  out.  15 

22  tBut*  there  is  no  peace,   says  Jhvh,  for  the   wicked.^ 


Appendix. 
14.  ^araeCe  (Rceforatton. 

49,1    y    T  EARKEN,    ye     +far*    countries,    to    me,     and     listen,    ye 

1.    1    distant  peoples,  ^o 

Jhvh   has  called  me   from    the   womb,    from    my   mother's    lap 

has   He  celebrated  my  name ; 

2  He   made    my   mowth    like   a   sharp  sword,  in    the    shadow  of 

His  hand   He  hid  me; 
He   made   me  a   polished  shaft,   in    His    quiver  He  stored  me.  25 

3  He    said    to    me :     Thou    art    my    Servant,"   in    whom    I    will 

glorify  myself, 
5^  And    I    iwas    honored;    in     the    eyes    of    Jhvh,   and    my     God 

became  my  strength ; 

4  And  as  for    nie,    I    said,    I    have    labored   in   vain  j    to   no   pur-  30 

pose  and  for  nothing   have   I   spent  my  strength ; 
Nevertheless  my  right  is  with  Jhvh,  and  my  recompense  with 

my  God. 
«s®ii=;^*;'' —    - 


49.3  "Israel. 


85  ■  — •*^SiS«- 4  3«««<>6 -^^^s*** —  49,6-12 

49,5    And    now    Jhvh  says, —  He   who   formed    me   from    the    womb 

to   be  a  Servant  to   Him, 
That    I   might  bring  Jacob  back  to   Him,   that    Israel   •>   might 

be  gathered  :  — 

6  "It  is   too    light  a   thing"  to    raise    up   the  tribes  of  Jacob,  and  5 
t  to  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel;; 

So  I  set  thee   as   a   light  of  the  nations,   that    my   deliverance 
^  ._  may  be  to  the  end  of  the  earth. ^' 

7  Thus  says  Jhvh,  the  redeemer  of  Israel,   his   Holy  One, 

To  him  who  is    deeply  cdespised),   labhorredi   of  the  people,   a  10 

servant  of  tyrants : 
Kings  shall  see  tthce*,  and  shall  arise;   princes,  and  they  shall 

bow  down,^^ 
Because   of  Jhvh  who  is    faithful,    and    of  Israel's    Holy   One, 

8  Thus  says  Jhvh  :  [who  chose  thee.  15 
In   a    time    of    favor    do    I     answer    thee,    and     in    a    day    of 

deliverance   I   help  thee. 
And  form   thee,    and   set   thee    as   a    covenant   of  the  people, *3 

*      *     * 
That  thou   raise   up  the  land,  that  thou   distribute   the   desolate  20 

heritages, 

9  Saying  to  the  bondmen :   Go  forth  !  and  to  those  in  darkness : 

Show  yourselves! 
They  will  pasture   on   <all>   ways,   and   'even*  on    all    bare  hills 

shall  be  their  pasture :  25 

10  They  will  not  hunger   or   thirst,  nor  will   the   glowing   heat  or 

the  sun  smite  them : 
He  who  has  compassion  on  them  will  lead  them,  and  to  brim- 
ming  fountains  will   He  guide  them. 

11  And    I    will    make    all    -mountains-    a    road,    and    <causeways>  30 

shall  be   raised  on   high  ; 
****************** 

12  Behold,  these,   from   afar   do    they   come,   tand    these  from  the 

end  of  the  earths, 
And    behold,    these'    from    the    sea,   and  these    from    the    land  35 

of  tthe  Syenites^,*'' 


49,6  "He  says  *for  thy  being  a  Servant  to  me 

* 
12  'from  the  North  and 


49.13-23  — ^*e§^!s- 4  Jeaio?  •'S*****^  86 

49, 


Rin_<;  with  shouts  of  jo}-, 

0  heavens, 

anii  1 

cxu 

it,  0 

earth ! 

Let 

the  mountains 

break 

:   forth   into   s 

houts 

of 

joy! 

l-"or 

Jii\ii   comforts 

His 

people. 

And 

has  compassion  on 

His  afflicted 

ones. 

15.    Coneofattone  for   jion  an6   ^cr   €6tf6ren.  5 

14  T3  UT    Zion    said:    Jh\'h    has   forsaken    me,  and   my   Lord    has 
J_J    fortjotten   mc  !  —  [sion   on  the  son   of  her  womb  ? 

15  Can  a  woman  so  forget   her   suckling,  as   not   to   have   compas- 
Should  even  these  forget,  yet  I   will  not  forget  thee  ! 

i6  Behold,   on   the   palms   of  *my«   hands   have    I   graven  thee ;  thy  10 

17  walls    are    continually    before    me;*^    <those    who    will    build    thee-*'' 
make   haste ;    those    who    destroyed   thee,    and    laid   thee    waste,   will 

18  go    forth    from    thee.       Lift    up    thine    eyes    round    about,    and    see; 
they  are   all    assembled,  they  come  to  thee.     As   I   live,  says   Jh\h, 
thou    wilt    clothe   thee   with   them    all   as    with    an    ornament.     And  15 
fasten   tlicni   on  thee,  as  a  bride  -.her  jewels*. 

19  I'"or  thy  ruined  and  desolate  places,  and  thy  destroyed  land 
*****************      * 
For    then    thou    wilt    be    too    narrow    for    the    inhabitants,    and 

those  who  swallowed  thee  up  will  be  far  away.  20 

20  Thou  wilt  yet  hear  this  cr}'  from   the  sons  of  thy  bereavement: 
The   place    is    too    narrow    for   me ;    move   away   from    me    that 

I  may  establish  myself 

21  And  thou   wilt  say  in   th)-  heart:    Who  has  borne  me  these. 
Seeing    I    am    bereaved    and    unfruitful?     )'ea,    these,    who     has  25 

brought  them   up? 
Behold,   I   was   left  alone;    these,   how  are  they  indeed  mine?*' 

22  Thus  says  the   Lord  Jhvh: 

Behold,   I    lift   up    my   hand    towards    the    nations,    and    set    up 

my  banner  towards  the  peoples,  30 
And  they  shall  bring  thy  sons  in  ttheir*  lap,  and  thy  daughters 

shall  be  carried  on  ♦their*  shoulders. 

23  Kings  will  be  thy  foster-fathers,  and  their  queens  thy  nursing- 

mothers  ; 
With    face    to    the    earth    will    they   do   thee   homage,  and    lick  35 

the  dust  of  thy  feet, 
And    thou    wilt    know   that    I    am    Juvii,    in    whom    those    who 

hope  will  not  be  put  to  shame. 


87  — .*«)#SBi- 4  38<»«<l?  ^@9§3*«^  49,24-50,5 

49, 24 "Can   the    prey   be   taken   from  a  warrior,   or  the  captives  of  a 

25  *Yea,   verily*,  for  thus  says  Jhvh:  [  <tyrant>  escape  ?" '* 

Even  the   captives  of  a  warrior  shall  be  taken,   and  the  prey 

of  a  tyrant  shall  escape; 
With  him   who  contends    with  thee  I    will    contend,    and    thy  5 

children  will  I  save. 

26  I  will  cause  thy  oppressors  to  eat  their  own  flesh ;  [drunken. 
With  their  own  blood,  as  with  new  wine,  shall  they  be 
So  that  all  flesh  shall  know  that  I,  Jhvh,  am  thy  deliverer, 
And  that  thy  redeemer  is  the  Hero  of  Jacob.  10 

50,1     Thus  says  Jhvh  :  [her  away, 

Where    is     your    mother's    bill    of    divorce   wherewith    I    put 
Or  which  of  my  creditors  is  it  to  whom   I   have   sold  you?^'' 
Surely,  for  your  iniquities  were  ye  sold,    and  for   your   rebel- 
lions was  your  mother  put  away.  15 

2  Wherefore,    when    I    came,    was     there     no    one?    was    there 

no  one  to  answer,   when  I  called  ? 
Is   my   hand   too    short    to    deliver?    or   have    I    no   power   to 

rescue? 
Surely,    with    my    rebuke    I    dry    up    the    sea,   I    make    rivers  20 

a    desert, 
+So    that*   their    fish  -dry    up'  for    lack     of    water,    and  ctheir 

monsters)    on  thirsty  lands ; 

3  I    clothe    the    heavens    in    mourning,   and    sackcloth    I    make 

their  covering;  25 
****************** 


16.  Z^i  Servant  ae  QUartjr. 

4  ''  I  ""HE    Lord   Jhvh    has   given    me   the   eloquence  of  *Hist 

A    disciples, 9° 
That     I     ma}'    know     how  cto    revive)  the    wear\'    one    with  30 

words   *of  comfort* ;'' 
"  In   the   morning    He   wakens   mine  ear^^  that    I    ma\'   hearken 

as  *His*  disciple, 

5  /And  I   have  not  been   rebellious ;   I   have  not  turned  back. 93 


50,  4  "  He  wakens  in  the  morning 
* 

5  *the  Lord  Jhvh  has  opened  mine  ear 


50,6-51.3  »'»c8ttaii-  4  JaaiaB  -^Sa^sH-;^-  88 

50,6    My    back    I    gave    to    smiters,    and   m\-    cheeks    to    those    who 

plucked  out  the  beard, 
My    face    I    hid    not    from    insult   and    spitting."*  [founded; 

7    But  the   Lord,  Jhvh.   will   help  me;    therefore    am    I    not   con- 
Therefore   I  hardened  m\-    face   like    flint,   and   was   sure    that   I  5 

should   not  be  ashamed. 

S    Near  is   He  who  redresses  m\-  wrongs;  who  will  contend  with 

mc?      Let   us  stand  forth  together! 
Who    is    my   opponent  ?      Let    him    draw   near   to    me ! 
9    Behold,  the  Lord,    Jhvh,   will    help  me  :    who  is    he   that    can  10 

worst   me? 
Behold,   they  will  all   fall   to  pieces  like  a  garment;   the  moths 

will   eat  them. 

Application  to  L.\tek  Times. 

10  Whoso  among  you  fears  Jhvh,  clet  him  hearken>  to  the  voice  15 

of  His   Servant; 
Whoso   walks   in   darkness,    with    no   brightness   ^of  dawn*, 
Let  him  trust  in  the  Name  of  Jhvh,  and  lean  upon  his  God. 

11  Behold,    all  ye  who  kindle  a  fire,  who  <set'  arrows  <aflame»  -.^^ 
Begone    into    the    flame    of  your    fire,    and    into  the  firebrands  20 

which   ye    have    lighted ! 
This  befalls  you  from  my  hand,   that  ye   lie    down  in  a    place 

of  pain.'' 

17.  6x6orfafton  anb  Comforf. 

Midway,  the  Prophet  encourages  himself  by  prayer.''  25 

EARKFIN   to   me,    ye    who    pursue    righteousness,    who 
seek   Jhvh  ! 
Look   to  the  rock  whence   ye  were  hewn,   and  to  the  quarry" 


'■  H 


whence   ye   were   digged  !- 


30 


2  Look  to  Abraham,  your  father,  and  to  Sarah  who  bore  you 
He    was    alone    when    I    called    him,    and    I   iblessed  him,   and 

increased  hini). 

3  -So-  Jhvh   comforts  Zion,   He  comforts  all  her  ruins, 

.And   makes  her  desert  like  Jhvh's  garden,   and  her  wilderness 

like   Eden;  35 


51.  1    'pit 


51       Joy  and   gladness   will   be   found   in    her,    thanksgiving   and  the 
************  [voice   of  song, 

4  Attend   to   me,    my   people,   yea,  to   me   give   ear," 

For  from   me  will  instruction  go  forth,  and  my  law  as  a  light 

of  the  -nations'.  5 

5  (Suddenly  will    I    bring    nean  my    redress,    ^suddenly*    will    my 


deliverance  go  forth  ; 

Mine    arms 

will    judge    the  peoples, 

for  me  do  the  »far»  coun- 

tries    wait/ 

6  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  heaven,  and   look    on  the  earth   beneath ;  10 
For    the    heavens    will    be    fretted    to    dust    as    by    the    moth=, 

and  the  earth  like  a  garment, 
<The  world  will  fall  to  pieces,  and  the  dwellers  therein  will   die 

like   gnats ; 
But    my    deliverance    will    be    for    ever,    and    my    righteousness  15 

will   not  ccome   to   an   end>. 

7  Hearken    to    me,    ye    that    know    righteousness,    the    people    in 

whose   heart   is   my   teaching. 
Fear  ye  not   the  insults  of  frail   men,  and   be  not   dismaj-ed  at 

their  revilings  !  20 

8  For   like   a   garment   the  moths  will   eat   them;   and    like  wool, 

the  worms ;' 
But    my    redress    will    last    for    ever,    and    my    deliverance    age 

after  age. 

9  Awake,    awake,   put   on    strength,    O   arm    of  Jhvh  \^  25 
Awake,   as   in   the   days    of  yore,   the  ages    of  far-off  antiquity ! 
Was  it  not    Thou    who    didst  <shatten  Rahab,    who    didst  <deal 

despitefully  with>  the  dragon?"" 
10  Was  it  not  Thou  who  didst  dr}-   up  the  sea,   the  waters  of  the 

great  ocean  ?  30 
Who     didst    make    the    depths     of    the    sea    a    way    for    the 

redeemed  to  pass  over?'"'" 

51 ,  4  ■  niy  people 

* 
5  ^and  for  my  arm  do  they  hope 

« 
8  '  will  eat  them 

II  'And  Jhvh's  freed  ones  \v\]\  return,  and  will  come  to  Zion  with  exultation, 
and  with  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads;  joy  and  gladness  will  overtake  them-; 
sorrow  and  sighing  will  flee  away.'o^ 


51 ,  12-22  ->"*Ke#^a*-  4  36aia6  -ss^^ta^'* —  90 

51,12  I,   I  am   He  who  comforts  ^thee*.      <Whom  dreadest  thou)  that 

thou   art   afraid 
Of   frail    man   who  dies,  and   of  a    son    of  the  earth-born,   who 

is   destroyed  like   grass  ? 

13  And   forgettest  Jhvh,  tliy    Maker,   who  has   stretched    out    the  5 

heavens,  and   spread   out  firmly   the   earth  ? 

And    trembfest    continually    all    the    day    for    the    fury    of    the 

[oppressor? 


14 


10 


15  seeing    that    I     am    Jhvh,     thy    God,    who    stirs    up    the    sea,   that 

16  its  waves  roar,  whose  name  is  Jhvh  Sabaoth.  And  I  put  my 
words  in  thy  mouth,  and  with  the  shadow  of  my  hand  I  covered 
thee,  to  <stretch  out-  the  heavens,  and  to  found  the  earth,  and  to 
say  to    Zion :    Thou   art   my  people.'"'  15 


ts.    (JOorlie  of  tf>itr  to  (pvoetrati  Jton. 

17  T~)  OUSE   thee  !    rouse   thee  !    stand    up,    O   Jerusalem, 

Xv   Who  hast  drunken  at  Jhvh's  hand  the  cup  of  His  fury! 
The  goblet"  of  bewilderment  thou  hast  drunken  and  drained.'"*" 

19  A  double  +woet  befell  thee;   who  can  tfitly*  condole  with  thee?  20 
Storming   and   destruction,    famine  and   sword;    who  <can-  com- 
fort thee? 

20  Thy  sons  lie  fainting,'  as  an  antelope  in  a  net,  [God. 
So   full   are    they   of  the   fury   of  Jhvh,    of  the    rebuke    of  thy 

21  Therefore   hear  now   this,   thou   afflicted   one,   and   drunken,  but  25 

not  with  wine, 

22  Thus   says  <>  Jhvh,  <■  thy    God,    who    befriends    the    cause    of 

His    people, 
Behold,   I  take  out  of  thy  hand  the  cup  of  bewilderment; 
The  goblet"  of  my  fury  —  thou  shalt  not  drink  it  again;  30 


51,17.22  "cup 


18  ^  There  is  not  one  to  guide  her  of  all   the  sons  whom  she   has  borne,  and  none 
to  take  hold  of  her  hand  of  all  the  sons  whom  she  has  brought  up. 
* 
20  'at  all  the  corners  of  the  streets 


91  — .*e#fSSs- 4  36110^ -)aj3#*«-«^  51,23-52,11 

51 ,  23  And    I    put   it   into   the   hand  <of  those  who  oppressed,  and  of 

those  who  afflicted*  thee, 
Who  have  said  to  thee:  Bow  down,  that  we  may  pass  over! 
So  thou    madest   thy  back   the   ground,  a  street   for  wayfarers. 

52,1  Awake!   awake!  put  on  thy  strength,   O  Zion ! '°5  5 

Put  on  thy  splendid  garments,   O  Jerusalem,    holy  city ! 
No  more  shall  enter  thee  the  uncircumcised  and    the  unclean. 
2  Shake  from  thyself  the  dust,  ♦and*  arise,  O  <captive=  Jerusalem! 
Loose  thyself  from   the   bonds  of  thy  neck,   O  captive  maiden, 
*************  [Zion !  10 

************* 

3  For    thus    says   Jhvh  :    For   nought    were   ye    sold,    and   not   for 

4  money   will   ye   be   redeemed.      For   thus   says   the    Lord,  Jhvh:    To 
Egypt    my    people    went    down    at    the    first    to    sojourn    there,    and 

5  Assyria    oppressed    them    without    cause.      And   now,    what    have    I  15 
♦received*     here,    says    Jhvh,     that    my    people     have     been     taken 
away?'°*      cBehold,     those     who     waited     for     me     are     become     a 
byword^,    says    Jhvh,    and    continually,    all    the    day,    my    Name    is 

6  reviled.'"'     Therefore  in  that  day  <=  will  my  people  know  my  Name, 
that  it  is   I   who  promised.  20 

[brings  good  news,'°^ 

7  cBehold,  hastening)  over  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  one  who 

Of  one   who    announces  peace,   of  the   harbinger  of  good   tid- 
ings, of  one  who  announces   deliverance. 
Who    says    to    Zion:    cThy    redeemer    is    come),    thy    God    is  25 

become  king  ! 

8  Hark,    thy  watchmen!     They  cry  aloud;    together  they  shout 

triumphantly; 
For  they  behold,   eye  to  eye, '°9  Jhvh   returning  to   Zion!"° 

9  Break  forth  into  exultation  together,  ye  ruins  of  Jerusalem  !     30 
For  Jhvh   has  comforted   His  people.   He  has  redeemed   Jeru- 
salem ! 

10  His  holy  arm  has  Jhvh  made  bare  in  the  sight  of  all  nations. 
And  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  see  the  deliverance  of  our 

****************      [God.  35 

11  Away!    away!    go  out  thence!    touch  not  an  unclean  thing! 
Go    out  of  the   midst   of  her;    purify  yourselves,   ye  who  bear 

the  vessels  of  Jhvh!"' 


52.12    53.5  — i-»^^m)f 'i  'ieaia^  ■inmm*-'^-  92 

52.12    Not    liLirriedly    may    ye    go    out,    and    not    in    flight    may    ye 

•        depart;"" 
Before    you    goes    Jhvh,"^    and    your    rear-guard   is    the    God 

of  Israel. 

10.    ^6c  ^crpanf'e  QUarfprliem  ani  Hb  (Kewarb.'"" 

13  \    /"ERILV,   my  Serv^ant  will  deal  wisely, 

V      He  will  rise,   be  exalted,   and  be  very  high. 

14  As  <on    his  account>  many  were   appalled, 
So  will  <manv  in   him  take  delight>. 


'&' 


Deeply  marred  was   his  appearance,  out  of  all   human  likeness,  10 
And  his  form   out  of  semblance  to  sons  of  man, 
15  *Butt  as   deep  <will   be   the   obeisance   of   many, 
Before  him  kings  will  be  awe-struck   in  silence ; 

For  that  which  had  not  been  told  them,   do  they  see, 
And  that  which  they  had  not  heard,   do  they  perceive.  15 

53,   I    Who  ♦indeed*   can  ♦yet.   believe   our  revelation  ?"s 

And  the  arm  of  Jhvh,  —  to  whom  has  it  disclosed  itself? 

2  He  grew   up  as  a  sapling  before    usj, 

And  as  a  sprout  from  a  root  in  dry  ground. 

He  had  no  form  nor  majesty,"  20 

And   no  beauty  that  we  should  delight  in   him."'' 

3  Despised  ♦was   he»,  and  forsaken   of  men,"' 

A  man  of  ♦many*  pains,  and  familiar  with   sickness,"^ 

Yea,   like  one  from  whom   men  hide  the  face,"' 

Despised,  and  we  esteemed   him  not.  25 

4  But  our  sicknesses,   ♦alone^,   he  bore,'^° 
And  our  pains  —  he  carried  them, 
Whilst  we  esteemed  him   stricken,'^' 
Smitten   of  God,  and  afflicted. 

5  But  ♦alone-   he  was    humiliated-  because  of  our  rebellions,  30 
•Alone   he  was^  crushed  because  of  our  iniquities  ; 

A  chastisement,  all  for  our  peace,   was   upon   him. 
And  to  us  came  healing  through  his  stripes. 


53.2    'that   we  should  see  him 


93  'jo^KBi-  4  Jeaia^  -igSj#5*«-«—  53, 6- 12 

53,6  All   we,    like  sheep,   had  gone  astray, 

We  had   turned,    every  one  to   his   own   way, 
While  Jhvh    made  to   light   upon   him 
The   guilt  of  us  all. 

7  He   was   treated   with   rigor,"^  but   he   resigned   himself,  5 
And   opened   not  his   mouth. 

Like  a  lamb  that  is   led  to  the   slaughter, 

And   like  a  sheep  that  before   her  shearers   is   dumb. '^3- 

8  Through   an   oppressive   doom   was   he   taken  away, 

And  as   for  his  Tate\  who  thought  thereon,"''  10 

That   he   had  been   cut  off  out  of  the   land   of  the   living, 
*That«    for     my    people's     rebellion    <he     had    been    stricken     to 

[death? 

9  And   his   grave  was   appointed   with   the  crebellious=, 

And   with   the    wicked   his   tomb),"'  15 

Although   he  had  done   no   injustice, 
Nor  was  there   deceit  in   his    mouth. 

10  But   it  had  pleased  Jhvh   to  crush   ♦and*  <to  humiliate   him>. 
If  he  were  to  make  himself  an  offering  for  guilt,'* 

He  would  see  a  posterity,    he  would  prolong  his  days,  20 

And  the  pleasure  of  Jhvh  would  prosper  in  his  hands. 

11  ************* 
************* 

<He  would  dehver>  from  anguish   his   soul, 

<Would  cause  him  to  see  light  to  the  full*.  25 

[many, 

With     knowledge     ♦thereof*     my    Servant   o    will    tinterposo    for 

And  take   up  the  load  of  their  iniquities. 

12  Therefore  <shall   he   receive  a  possession>  among  the  great, 

And  with  the  strong  shall  he  divide  spoil,  30 

Forasmuch   as    he   poured    out   his    life-blood," 
And    let   himself  be    reckoned    with   the    rebellious. 
While   it   was   he    who    had   borne   the   sin   of  many, 
And    for   the    rebellious   had   interposed. 


53 ,  7   "  and  opened  not  his  mouth 
* 
12  *to  death 


54  •  '  "  lo  — «-»«)g<€!>i-  4  3'"»''3  -*SSJ§3*« —  94 


20.  ^uvt^tv  Coneoiahone  for  jton, 

the  Restored  Bride  of  tlie  Lord,  under  the  new  and  everlasting  covenar<i 

54,  I  ^T^RIUMPH,    O    thou    barren,    who    hast    not   borne!    break 
X    into   cries    of  triumph,    O  thou    who   hast   not   travailed ! 
More   are   the   children    of  the    desolate    than    the    children    of  5 

her  who  is  married,   says   Jhvh. 

2  Widen   the   space  of  thy  tent,  and   the   curtains'  -stretch   forth> 

abundantly; 
Lengthen   thy   cords,    and   fasten   well    thy   tent-pins. 

3  *      x-      *      *      *      *    ,  for   right  and   left  wilt   thou   spread  forth,  10 
And  thy  posterity  will  possess  nations,  and  will  people  desolate 

cities. 

4  Fear  not,  for  thou  wilt  not  be  shamed;  be  not  confounded,  for 

thou    wilt   not   be   put   to   the   blush: 
Thou    wilt   forget  the   shame   of  thy   youth,    and    the    reproach  15 
of  thy   widowhood    thou   wilt   no   more   remember. 

5  rThy   husbandi   is   thy   Maker,   Jhvh    Sabaoth   is   His   name. 
Thy    redeemer   is    Israel's    Holy  One,    God   of  the   whole  earth 

is    He   called. 

6  As  a  wife  forsaken  and  grieved  in  spirit  []  has  He  called  thee ;"'  20 
And  one  who  has  been  wedded  in  youth,  can  she  be  rejected  ? 

says  c[Jhvh]>,  thy  God. 

7  For  a    little  moment   did    I    forsake   thee,  but   with   great   com- 

passion   will    I    gather   thee; 

8  In     wrath     I     hid    my    face    from    thee,"    but    with     everlasting  25 

kindness   I   have  compassion  on  thee. 
Says   thy   redeemer,  Jhvh. 

9  Like  the  days  of  Noah  is  this  tcrisis-  to  me;  [earth. 
As  I  swore  that  Noah's  waters  should  no  more  pass  over  the 
So  do   I   swear  that   I   will   not  be  wroth  with  thee,  nor  rebuke  30 

thee. 

10  Though  mountains  should  move,  and  hills  should  totter. 

Yet    from    thee    my    kindness    will     not    move,    nor    will    my 

covenant  of  peace  totter. 
Says   Jhvh    who    has  compassion   on   thee.  35 


54,2  "of  tliy  habitation  8  *  for  a  moment 


95  -^>*e^raSs- 4  36atag -iSiJjga^—  54.' '-55, 3 

54,  II  Thou  afflicted  one,  storm-tossed,  unconsoled  !    [with  sapphires; 
Behold,    I    will   set  thy  cbases>  in  srubiesi,   and   will   found   thee 

12  I    will    make   thy   battlements  of  sjaspers, 

Thy  gates  of  scarbunclesi,  and  all  thy  border  of  jewels; 

13  All  ithey   that   build   theei  will    be    Jhvh's   disciples, "^^ 

14  And    great    will    be    the    prosperity   of    thy    children ;    through 

righteousness   wilt   thou   be   established. 


[to  fear, 
cThou  wilt  be>  far  from  oppression,  for  thou  wilt  have  nought 
And    from    destruction,    for    that    will    not    come    nigh    thee.        10 

15  If  *any+  should    stir    up    strife,    it   will    be    against   my   will; 
Whoso    stirs    up    strife   against    thee,    will    be   brought   by   thee 

to   ruin. 

16  Truly    it    was    I    who    created    the    smith, 

Who    blows    on    the    fire    of  coals,  15 

And   produces    a    weapon    according    to    his    craft ; 
It   was    I   who   created   the   destroyer  ito   take   a   pledgei"?  +for 

thy   debt*. 

17  No  weapon  formed  against  thee  will  succeed,     [gain  thy  cause. 
And   against   every   tongue   that   contends   with    thee    thou    wilt  20 
This    is    the    inheritance    of  the    Servants    of  Jhvh, 

And   their  justification    that   is    of  me,    says   Jhvh. 


21.  3"'>»t«*t<'"  <"  ^62  <§tieein^&  of  t^i  Qt«w  £otienan<, 

followed  by  renewed  prophecies  of  deliverance. 

55,iT_TO!    all    ye    thirsty    ones,    come    to    the    waters!    and    ye  25 

1   1    who    have    no  thread),    eat!    <>  [without    payment. 

Yea,    come,    buy    grain    without    money,    and    wine    and    milk 

2  Why    should    ye    spend    money    for    that    which    is    not    bread, 

and    your    earnings    for    that    which    cannot    satisfy? 

Hearken    to    me,    and    ye    shall    eat    that    which    is    good,    and  30 

delight  yourselves  in  delicacies." 


55  ,  3  "  Incline  your  ear,  and  come  to  me  ;  hear,  that  your  soul  may  be  revived  ! 


55.3''- '3  ^»*e#eS5<- 4  3B<ita^ -ijSS^jBa*.—  96 

55.3''<'I   will    give   you    an    everlasting   covenant,   the   sure    promises 

of  lovingkindness   to   David  ;'3° 

4  Truly   as    a    witness  cto    the  peoples)  did   I   give   him,    a    ruler 

and   commander   of  the   nations. 'J' 

5  Truly    thou,  'too*,   wilt  call  people   whom    thou   know  est  not,  5 

people   who   know   thee   not   will   run   to  thee. 
Because    of    Jhvh,    thy    God,    and     for     Israel's     Holy    One, 

since   He   has   glorified    thee. 

6  Seek  ye  Jhvh,   now   that   He  may   be  found;''-  call   ye    upon 

Him,    now    that    He    is    near!"  10 
s     For  my  thoughts    are   not   your  thoughts,   nor  are  your  ways 

my   ways,    says   Jhvh. 

9  <As»  the    heavens   are    higher    than    the    earth. 

So    are   my    ways    higher  than    your  ways,   and  my  thoughts 

than   your   thoughts.  15 

10  As    the    rain    comes    down,    and    the    snow    from    heaven. 
And    thither   returns   not,    e.xcept   it   have   watered   the   earth, 
And    have    made    it    bring    forth    and    sprout. 

And    given    seed    to    the    sower,    and    bread    to    the    eater ; 

11  So  will  niy   word  be  that   thas  gone  forthi  out  of  my  mouth;  20 
It    will    not    return    to    me    void, 

E.xcept    it    have    accomplished    that   which    I    pleased. 
And    carried    out    that    for    which    I    sent    it. '33 

12  For    with    joy    shall    ye    go   forth, 

And    in    peace    shall    ye    be    led ;  [exultation,  25 

The    mountains    antl    hills    shall    break    forth   before   you   into 
And    all    the    trees    of  the    field    shall    clap    their    hands. 

13  Instead    of  the    thorn-bush    shall    come    up  the    fir-tree, 
And    instead   of  the    nettle    shall    come    up  the    myrtle-tree; 
And    it   will    be    to    Jhvh    a    memorial,  30 
An    everlasting    sign    which    cannot    be    cut  off. 


55.7  '  I-et  the  ungodly  forsake  his  way,  and  the  wicked  man  his  thoughts,  and  let 
him  turn  to  Jhvh,  and  He  will  have  compassion  upon  him.  and  to  our  God, 
for  He  will  abundantly  pardon. 


5.  (prop^ectea 

Composed  after  The  Fall  of  Babylon 


19. 1 


Prophecy   i. 

©ownfaPf  of  <Sgppf." 

Oracle    on    Egypt. 

EHOLD,  Jhvh  rides  upon  a  swift  cloud,  and  comes 

to   Egypt,  5 

The  idols  of  Egypt  shake  at   His  presence, 
And  the  heart  of  Egypt  trembles  within  her. 
I   will  spur  Egyptian  against  Egyptian, 
They  shall  fight,  each  one  against  his  brother,   and 

each  one  against  his  fellow,  10 
City  against  city,   and  kingdom  against  kingdom.' 
Then    will    Egypt    be    drained    of  the    spirit   within 


And  her  counsel  will   I   confound ; 
They  will  resort  to  the  idols,   and  to  the   oracular  spirits. 
To  the  ghosts,  the  wise  spirits  +of  the  deadt.^ 

4  And  I  will  shut  up  Egypt  in  the  hand  of  a  hard  lord, 
A  fierce  king  shall  rule  over  her, — 

Says  the   Lord,   Jhvh   Sabaoth. 

5  Then  will   the  water  dry   up  from  the  sea,'' 
And  The   River  will  become  parched  and  dry; 

6  And  ♦its*  branches  become  putrid, 

And  the   canals   of  Egypt  become  shallow  and  parched, 
Reed  and  papyrus   will   waste  away.' 


[her, 


15 


19,7-20  — »*e*ffi>  5  'ieaia^  ■iim^^t"'—  98 

19,7 by  the   brink   of  the   Nile', 

And  all  that  is  sow  11   by  the    Nile 
Will   wither,  become  dust,  and  disappear. 
S  The   fishermen   will   sigh. 
All   who  cast  hooks  into  the   Nile  will   mourn,  5 

Those  who  spread  nets  on  the  face  of  the  water  will   languish. 

9  Those  who  dress  combed   flax"'  will  be  shamed, 

10  And   those   who   tweave  iti  'will   be*    broken-hearted, — 
All  those  who  swork  for  hire   -will  be*   grieved  in  soul. 

11  Utter  fools  are  the  princes  of  Zoan ;  10 
Pharaoh's  wisest  counselors  are  a  witless  council  ! 

How  can   ye   say  to    Pharaoh : 

A  son  of  the  wise  am   I,  a  son  of  ancient  kings  !  ^ 

12  Where  are  they,   thy  wise    men  ? 

Pray,   let  them  announce  to  thee,  and   let  them  <declare>  15 

What  Jhvh   Sabaoth   has  purposed  concerning  P^gypt. 

13  Grown    foolish    are    the    princes    of    Zoan,    deceived    are    the 

princes   of  Noph  ;  ^ 
Egypt  has  been   led  astray  by  the  <chieftains>  of  her  tribes. 

14  Jhvh  has  poured  into  the  midst  of  <them>  a  spirit  of  error,         20 
So  that  the)'  have  made  Egypt  stagger  in  all    that  she  does, 

As  a  drunken  man  staggers  in  vomiting ; 

15  And  there  will  be  nothing  more  for  Egypt  40  do* 

Which  the  head  with  the  tail,   the  palm-branch   with    the   rush, 

might  effect.  25 

Appendix  .5 
(.275^  B.  c.) 

i5  In   that  day  will    Egypt    be   like    women,   and    will   tremble  and 

shudder,   because  of  the  lifting  of  the  hand  of  Jhvh   Sabaoth,   which 

'7  He   lifts  against  it.     And  the  land  of  Judah  will  become  a  terror  to  30 
Egypt;    whenever  any  one  makes  mention   thereof  to  another,  there 
will     be    shuddering,    because    of    the     purpose     of    Jhvh     Sabaoth, 

18  which  He  forms  against  Egypt.  In  that  day  there  will  be,  in  the 
land  of  I^gypt,  five  cities  speaking  the  language  of  Canaan,  and 
swearing  ♦fidelity  to  Jhvh  Sabaoth  ;  one  will  be  named:  Ir-ha-<heres>.'°  35 

19  In  that  day  there  will   be  an  altar  to  Jhvh  in  the  midst   of  the   land 

20  of   Egypt,"    and   a   pillar   to   Jhvh    by   its   border;    and   it    will   be   a 


19 ,  9b  "  and  those  who  weave  white  stuffs 


99  — »*^«3Ss- 5  3e'«<'>&  *SS3#»«-=—  19,21-56,7 

19  sign  and  a  witness  to  Jhvh  Sabaoth  in  the  land  of  Egypt  ♦so  that*, 
when  they  cry  to  Jhvh  because  of  oppressors.  He  will   send  them  a 

21  deliverer,  and  ihe  will  contendi  ♦for  them*,  and  rescue  them.  And 
Jhvh  will  make  Himself  known  to  Egypt,  and  the  Egyptians  will 
know   Jhvh    in   that   day,   and   will   serve   with   sacrifice  and    offering,  5 

22  and  will  make  vows  to  Jhvh,  and  perform  them.  And  Jhvh  will 
smite  the  Egyptians,  but  so  ♦gently^  that  He  heals  them  ♦again^. 
When  they  return  to  Jhvh,    He  will    receive  their  supplications,   and 

23  will   heal  them.      In  that   day  there   will   be   a   highway    from   Egypt 

to   Assyria :    Assyria    will    come    to    Egypt,   and    Egypt    to    Assyria ;  10 
and    the    Egyptians   will    serve   ♦Jhvh^   together   with    the   Assyrians. 

24  In    that    day    will     Israel    join    itself    as    the    third    to    Egypt    and 

25  Assyria,  as  a  blessing  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  <which-  Jhvh 
Sabaoth  has  blessed,  saying :  Blessed  be  my  people,  Egypt,  and 
the  work  of  my  hands,   Assyria,  and   my   inheritance,   Israel.  15 

Prophecy  2. 

(prontiee©  to  (proeefpfce  anb  to  <Bunuc^6.' 

(.4441   B.   C.  ) 

56,1  '  I  ""HUS  says  Jhvh:  Keep  the  law,  practice  righteousness; 

X      For  my  salvation  will  soon  come,  and  my   righteousness  20 

be  soon  manifested. 
2  Happy  the  man  who  practices  this,   the  mortal  who    holds  fast 

thereto. 
Keeping    tHe    Sabbath,    so    as    not    to    profane    it,   and    keeping 

his  hand  from  doing  any  evil.  25 

3  Let  not  the  foreigner,  who  has  joined  himself  to  Jhvh,  say: 
Jhvh   will    surely    separate    me    from    His    people;    and    let    not    the 

4  eunuch  say:  Behold,  I  am  a  dry  tree.  For  thus  says  Jhvh  :  As 
for   the   eunuchs  who  keep  my  Sabbaths, ="  and   choose   that  which    I 

5  delight  in,   and   lay   hold  on   my  covenant,    I   will    give   them,   in   my  30 
house    and    within    my  walls,   a    monument    and    a    memorial^    better 
than  sons  and  daughters ;   I  will  give  <them>  an  everlasting  memorial 

6  which  shall  not  be  cut  off  And  as  for  the  foreigners  who  join 
themselves  to  Jhvh  to  minister  to  Him,  and  to  love  the  Name  of 
Jhvh,  to  be  His  servants, —  every  one  who  so  keeps   the  Sabbath  as  35 

7  not  to  profane  it,  and  who  lays  hold  on  my  covenant,  I  will 
bring    to    my  holy   mountain,    and   gladden   in    my  house   of  prayer; 


56,S-57>6  — **t^«*Sf  5  38ata5  •!»*riei4-'- —  loo 

56  his    burnt-offerings    and    his    sacrifices    shall    be    accepted    upon    my 

altar;  for   my  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  peoples. 

8  The  oracle   of  the    Lord,  Jhvh,''  who   gathers   the  outcasts  of  Israel 

♦is* :  Yet  will   I  gather  »others-  to  Israel,  to  those  of  Israel  who  are 

^already*  gathered.  5 

Prophecy  3. 

And  against  the  Samaritans." 
( •444>  B.  c.     Supplement  later) 

56,9     ALL    ye    wild    beasts    in    field    and    forest,    come    hither    to  10 
l\  devour ! " 

10  cMy>  watchmen  ["]  are   all   blind, ^  and   know    not  <how    to   give 
They  are  all  dumb  dogs  which  cannot  bark,  [heed>; 

cCrouchingi  and  lying  down,   loving  to  slumber. 

11  And  the  dogs  are  greedy,  they  know  not  how  to  be  satisfied,  []   15 
They  all  turn  to  their  own  way,   each   for  his  own  lucre. 

12  Come,  +they  say*,  let  me  fetch  wine,   let  us  carouse  with  mead. 
And  to-morrow  shall  be  as  to-day,  an  exceeding  high  day. 

57 , 1  The  righteous  perishes,  and  no  man  lays  it  to  heart. 

Men  of  piety  are  taken,   but  none  considers  20 

That  for  the  wickedness  ♦of  the  time-  the  righteous    is   taken,** 

2  entering  into  peace: 
Let    them    rest    on  their    beds — ccvery  one>    who   walked    in  a 

straight  path. 

3  But  ye,  —  approach  hither,  ye  sons  of  a  sorceress, ^  [sport?  25 
Brood  of  can  adulteress,   of   a  harloti!*    Of  whom  do  ye  make 

4  At  whom    do    ye    make   a   wide   mouth,   'and*  put   out  a   long 

tongue?' 
Are  ye  not  children  of  apostasy,  a  brood  of  falsehood?" 
6  The  smooth   stones  of  the  valley  are   thy  portion,   they  —  they  30 

are  thy   lot;' 
To  them  also  thou  hast  poured  out    drink-offerings,  thou   hast 

offered  cereal  offerings.' 

•»s*!^^-« 

56,11  "that  is,  shepherds 

* 
57,5*  Those  who  wax  hot  at  the  holy  trees,  ♦yea^,  under  each  ever-green    tree,  who 
slay  the  children  in  the  valleys  -amidst-  the  clefts  of  the  rocks.s 

6  'Can  I  at  such  things  repent  myself? 


loi  ^«*e^esS6- 5  360ta§ -*@3|s**«—  57,  7 -15 

57,7    On  a  high  and  lofty  mountain  didst  thou  set  thy  bed,'° 
Thither,   too,  thou  wentest  up  to  offer  sacrifice. 

8  Behind  the  door  and  the  post  didst  thou  set  thy  symbol," 
For    stirred  up    thereby;    thou    didst    go    up    uncovered,    thou 

didst  enlarge  thy  bed,  5 
Thou  didst  <buy>  thyself  such  as  thou   lovedst  for  intercourse, 
<And    didst   practice    much    foulness    with     them>,  twhen*  thou 

sawest  the  phallus." 

9  Thou    didst    also  <anoint  thyself>    for    Melech    with    oil,''   and 

didst  use  many  perfumes,  10 
Thou   didst   send    thy    messengers    afar,    and    deep    down    to 

Sheol  ;'* 

10  Though  wearied  with    thy    long  journeying,   thou    saidst    not: 

There  is  no  hope ; 
sFresh    life    in    thy  hand?   didst  thou   get,    therefore   thou    didst  15 

not  desist>. — 

11  Of   whom   then    wast   thou    in    ^such*    craven    fear    that    thou 

didst   play  the   traitor. 
And    gavest    to    me  no  thought,    nor   didst    lay   ♦thy   duty*   to 

heart?  20 
Truly  I  kept  silence  and  <hid  mine  eyes>;'s 
cTherefore=    *      *     *      ,  and  of  me  wast  not  afraid. 

12  I  will  expose  thy  righteousness,'*  and  thy  practices; 

And  thine  tabominations),''  when  thou  criest,  will  neither  profit 

nor  rescue    thee  !  25 

13  Yea,  the  wind  will  carry  them  all  away,  a  breath  will  bear 
*************  *'^[them  off; 
And   he  who  trusts  in  me  will  inherit   the  land,  and  take  my 

holy  mountain  in  possession. 


14  "Cast    up,  cast   up    *tlie   highway*,   make    clear   the    road ;    take  30 

up  stumbling-blocks  out  of  the  way  of  my  people  ! 

15  For  thus  says  The  High  and  Lofty  One,  who  abides  for  ever, 

whose  name  is   Holy  One  : 
On    high  cas3  the   holy  one  do    I    abide,  and   with  him  who  is 

crushed  and  lowly  in  spirit,  35 
To   revive  the  spirit  of  the    lowly,  and   to    revive  the  heart  of 

those  who  are  crushed. '» 


57, 14  "and  J  saidi 


57.16-58,5  -^>*e^^5f  5  Seata^ -«jgsf!3*« —  102 

57,16  For   I   will    not   contend   for  ever,    nor  will    I    be  alwa\--s   wroth. 
For  the  spirit  would  faint    before    me,   and  the    souls  which    I 

have  made. 

17  For  diis>  guilt    I    was    wroth  <for  a    moment-,    and  ismotei  him, 
hiding    myself  on     wrath.;     and    turning    aside,    he    went    on    in    the  5 

18  way  of  his    own    heart.      His    ways    have    I    seen,  <[says  Jhvh],   and 
I    will    heal    him,    and  igive    him   resti;    I    will    requite    him    *for    his 

19  trouble*  with  comfort,  and  to  his  mourners  d>  make  the   lips   blossom 
anew  with  speech.^"     Peace,  peace  *shall  there  be*  to  the  far-off  and 

20  to  the   near  [] . "      But  the  wicked  are   like  the  tuptossed>  sea,   which  10 
cannot    rest,  and   whose  waters  ctoss    up>  mire   and   dirt.      No   peace, 

21  says  my  God,   to  the  wicked ! 

Prophecy  4. 

1450-444     B.  C.  )  15 

58,1  /'"^RY  with    full   throat,   refrain    not!    lift   up  thy  voice  like  a 
V — y    horn. 

Declare    to    my   people    their    rebellion,    and    to    the    House    of 

Jacob  their  sin. 

2  Me   indeed   they   consult   daily,  and   to   know   the   ways   that  I  20 

would  have  is  their  delight. 
As  a  nation  that  has  done  righteousness,  and  has  not  forsaken 

the  law  of  its  God! 
They    ask     me    concerning    ordinances     of    righteousness,^    to 

draw  nigh  to  God  is  their  delight.  25 

3  Wherefore    have    we    fasted,  *say    they*,    and    Thou    seest  not? 

mortified  ourselves,  and  Thou  markest  it  not?^ 
Surely,    on    your    fast-day    ye    pursue  <your-  business,    and    all 

tmoney  lent  on  pledge-  ye  exact.-* 

4  Surely,   it   is    for    strife    and    contention    ye    fast,    and    to    smite  30 

with   the  fist  -the  poor.; 
Such    fasting   as   yours   to-day  will   not  make  \-our  voice  heard 

on   high. 

5  Can  such  be  the  fast  that  I   choose,  a  day  when   a  man  mor- 

tifies himself?  35 

57,19  ^and  I  heal  him 


103  — ►*e*6S!fi- 5  38*w5 -sS^^s*** —  58,6-13 

58  To   droop    one's    head    like  a  bulrush,   and   to    make   sackcloth 

and  ashes  one's  couch  — 
Wilt  thou  call  this  a  fast,  and  a  day  acceptable  to  Jhvh? 

6  Is  not  this  the  fast  that  I   choose,  <says  Jhvh>  ;  [lence>, 
To    loose    the    fetters    of   injustice,   to    untie   the   bands   of  <vio-  5 
To  set  at    liberty  those  who  are   crushed,   to  burst  e\er)'  yoke 

asunder. 5 

7  Is    it    not    to    break    thy    bread    to    the    hungr)-,   and    to    bring 

the  homeless"  into  ♦thy*   house ;'^ 
When   thou   seest   the    naked   to   cover  him,  and  hide  not  thy-  10 

self  from  thy  own  flesh?' 

8  Then    will    thy    light    break    forth    as    the    dawn,    th)-    wounds 

will  be  quickly  healed  over. 
Thy  righteousness   will    go   before   thee,  and  Jhvh's   glory  will 

be  thy  rearward.^  15 

9  Then    wilt    thou    call,  and    Jhvh  will    answer;    thou    wilt    cr>-, 

and   He  will  say:    Here  am   I. 
If  from  the  midst  of  thee  thou   remove  the  yoke,  the  pointing 

finger,   and  the  speech  of  mischief, 

10  And  supply  thy  <bread>  to  the  hungry',   and  satisfy-  the  bowed-  20 

down   soul. 
Then  will  thy  light  be  resplendent  in  darkness,  and  thy  gloom 

will  be  as  the  noonday. 

11  Then  will  Jhvh  lead  thee  continually,  [He  crenew). 
And    satisfy    thy    soul    in    parched    lands,    and    thy   cvigor;  will  25 
So    that    thou    wilt    be    like   a   well-watered    garden,   and   like  a 

conduit  whose  waters  deceive  not. 
i2cThy    sons>   will    build    up    the    ancient    ruins,?    thou    wilt    rear 

again  the  long-deserted  foundations, 
And     men    will     call    thee:     Repairer    of    Ruins,    Restorer    of  30 

cDestroyed   Places>  for  Inhabiting. '° 

Appendix  on  the  Sabbath. 

(Later) 

13  If  thou  turnest  back  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath,"  <not-  pursuing 

thy  business   on  my   holy  da\",  35 
And    callest    the    Sabbath    a    delight,   ♦and*    the    hol\-    *da)-*    of 

Jhvh  honorable. 


58,7  "'that  is*,   the  poor 


58,14-59.10  — "^-^^mii- 5  '^eaiad -iffma*^-  104 

58  Aik]    honorest    it,    not   doing-    thy   wonted    things,    nor   minding 

thy  business,   nor  speaking  +vain*   words," 
14  Then    wilt    thou    delight    thyself    in    Juvn,    and    I    will    make 

thee  ride  over  the  heights  of  the  land,"^ 
And    grant   thee   to  enjoy  the  inheritance  of  Jacob,   thy  father;  5 

for  the  mouth  of  Jhvh   has  spoken  it. 


Prophecy  5. 
©cnunciafton  anb  Confceeton." 

(450-444   B.  C.) 

59,1    OURELY,  the    hand    of  Jhvh    is    not    too  short   to    deliver,^  10 
vS)   nor  His  ear  too  heavy  to   hear, 

2  But    your    iniquities    have   become   a    barrier  between    you    and 

your  God, 
And    your   sins    hai'e    hidden    His   face    from    you,    so    that    He 

hears  not.  15 

3  For    your    hands    are     defiled    with     blood, ^    and     your    fingers 

with  iniquity, 
Your  lips  speak  lies,  and  your  tongue   utters   depravity. 

4  None    sues   with    truthfulness,    and    none    pleads    with    honesty; 
Men  trust  in  pretenses,''  and  speak  falsehood  ;  conceive  trouble,  20 

and  bring  forth   mischief.' " 
9  Therefore   has   .our*  right   been    far    from   us,   and    redress   does 

not  overtake   us  ;* 
We     wait    for    the     light,     but     behold     darkness ;     for    bright 

beams,   but  we  walk  in  gloom;'  25 
10  We    grope,    like    blind    men,    by    the    wall ;    eyeless,    we    grope 

along ; 
We    stumble    at    noonday'    as    in    the    twilight ;      .      .       .      like 

the  dead     *      *     * 


59.5  "Vipers'    eggs   do   they   hatch,    and   spiders'   webs   do   they  weave;    he   who 

eats  of  their  eggs  will  die ;  and  if  one  be  crushed,  it  breal<s  out   into  an  adder. 

6  Their  webs  serve  not  for  clothing,  nor  can  men  cover  themselves  with  their 
works ;  their  works   are   works  of   mischief,    the    deed    of  violence    is    in    their 

7  hands.  Their  feet  run  to  evil,  and  make  haste  to  shed  innocent  blood.  Their 
thoughts  are  thoughts  of  mischief;  desolation  and  destniction  are  on  their  roads. 

S  The  way  of  peace  they  know  not,  and  there  is  no  justice  in  their  tracks;  their 
paths  ha\e  they  made  for  themselves  crooked;  whoso  treads  thereon  knows 
not  peace. 


105  ^**ef6@Ss- 5  Jeata? 'S^gss**—  59i"-i9 

59,11  We  all  groan   like  bears,  and  mourn   sore  like  doves; 

We    wait    for    *ourt    right,    but    there   is   none;    for    deliverance, 

but  it  is  far  from   us ; 

12  For    the    multitude    of  our   transgressions    is   before  Thee,    and 

our  sins  testify  against  us,  5 
For    we    are    conscious    of  our    transgressions,    and   as    for   our 

iniquities,  we  know  them  : 

13  Treason    and    unfaithfulness    to   Jhvh,    and   drawing    back    from 

following  our  God, 
Speaking  <perverseness>  and     transgression,    and  <uttering>  from  10 

the  heart  lying  words.' 

14  Justice  has  been  driven  back,  and  righteousness  stands  afar  off. 
Truth     has    stumbled    in     the    public     place,    and     uprightness 

cannot  enter, 
15^  So   that  truth   is  not  to  be  found   *in  the   roll  of  citizens*,  and  15 
whoso  avoids  evil  must  <put  himself  down  as  childless^ ! '° 

Prophecy  6. 

(Pieion  of  ©cPtuerance." 


('432'    B-  c. 
*  *  * 


*#*■******  20 

59,15''    A  ND    Jhvh  saw  it,  and  was  displeased;   tHe  perceived>  that 
there  was  no  right;' 

16  He    saw    that    there    was     no     man,    and    was    astonished    that 

there  was  none  to  interpose ; 

Therefore    His    own    arm    delivered    Him,   and    His   own    right-  25 

eousness  upheld  Him. 3 

17  And    He    put    on     righteousness    as    a    coat    of   mail,    and    the 
helmet  of  deliverance  was  upon   His  head; 

He    put    on     garments    of    vengeance    for    clothing,    and    clad 

Himself  with  zeal  as  with  a  mantle.  30 

18  In    proportion    to     ♦their-    deserts    will     He    render   ta    recom- 
pense)—  wrath  to  His  adversaries, -disgrace*  to   His  enemies;" 

19  And  they  will  see  the  Name  of  Jhvh   where  the  sun  sets,  and 

His  glory  where  it   rises. 

For  He  comes  like  tthe  riven   cof  Egypt),   when  Jhvh's   breath  35 

cblows)  upon  it,* 


59,i8i)  "to  the  -far*  countries  He  will  render  a  recompense 


59.3O-60.6  — »4-«^e@!f  5  Jeoio? -^SS^m-c—  io6 

59,20  He   comes   as    a   redeemer   for   Zion,    and    for    those    who   have 

turned^   from   rebclHon   in   Jacob." 

Appendix   for  the  Reformed  Community. 
(Later) 

And    as    for    me,   this    is    my   covenant   with   them,    says    Jhvh  :  5 
My    spirit    which    is    upon    thee,    and    my   words   which    I    have   put 
into    thy    mouth,    shall    not   depart    from    thy   mouth    nor    from    that 
of  thy  posterity,  nor  from  that  of  thy  latest  descendants,  says  Jhvh, 
from  this  time  forth  for  evermore.^ 


Pkophecv   7.  1° 

^uppfcmcnf  to  t?>c  ^cconi  ^eaia^. 

( .432.   n.  c.  I 

I.  (poem  on  (Bfonfiei  jton." 

60,1      ARISE,'    shine!    for    thy    light    is    come,    and    the    glor)'    of 
li.  Jhvh   beams  upon  thee.  15 

2  For,    behold,    darkness    covers    the    earth,    and    gross    darkness 

the  peoples, 
But     upon    thee    Jhvh     will    beam,     on    thee    His    glor>'    will 

appear, 

3  And    nations    will    set    forth     to    thy    light,    and    kings    to    the  20 

brightness  of  thy  beams. 

4  Lift    up    thine   eyes     round    about,    and    see !    they    all    gather 

together,  and  come  to  thee,' 
Thy    sons    come    from    afar,  and    thy  daughters    are    borne    at 

the  side.*  25 

5  Then     wilt     thou     see,    and     be     radiant,    and     thy    heart     will 

tremble  and    <throb-. 
For    the  treasures   of  the   sea    will    turn    to   thee,    the    riches  of 

the   nations   will   come  to  thee. 

6  An    abundance    of    camels    will    cover    thee,    young    camels    of  30 

Midian  and   F'phah  ; 
All    those    from    Sheba^   will   come,*   Jhvh's   famous   deeds   will 

they  proclaim ; 


59,20  -•it  is-  Jhvh's  oracle  60,6  *gold  and  incense  will  they  bear 


107  -^**^««Se- 5  36ata§  ^S@»«i»*«^  60,7-16 

60 ,  7  All    Kedar's"^   flocks   will   gather   to   thee,   Nebaioth's'   rams  will 

tseek)  thee ; 
With    acceptance    will    they    mount   mine   altar,    and    my   house 

<of  prayer>  will   I   glorify. 

8  Who    are    those    who     fly    like    a    cloud,    and     like    doves    to  5 

their  cotes  ? 

9  Yea,    to    me    the  cships^   igather;,    in    the    van    the    vessels    of 

Tarshish, 
To  bring  thy  sons  from  afar,  their  silver  and  gold*  with  them, 
To   the    Name   of  Jhvh,   thy  God,    and    to    Israel's    Holy  One;  10 

because   He  glorifies   thee.^ 

10  Strangers    will    build    thy  walls,    and    their    kings    will    minister 

to   thee. 
For    in    my  wrath    I    smote    thee,"°    but    in    my    favor    I    have 

compassion  on  thee.  15 

11  Thy    gates    will    stand    open    continually;    day  and    night    they 

will  be  unclosed, 
That   men    may   bring   to   thee   the    riches   of  the   nations,  their 

kings  deadingi   tthe  train*." 

13  The  glory  of  Lebanon  will    come  to  thee,  pine  and   plane  and  20 

cypress  together,"' 
That  I   may  glorify  the  place  of   my  sanctuary,  and    make  my 

footstool  honorable ; 

14  To  thee  will  they  go  crouching,  the  sons  of  those  who  afflicted 

thee,   and*  spurned  thee,  25 
And  they  will  call  thee  the  City  of  Jhvh,  the  Zion  of  Israel's 

Holy  One. 

15  Instead  of  being  forsaken,"   hated,  and   unvisited,       [upon  age; 
Thou    wilt    be    made    an    everlasting    pride,    a    delight    for    age 

16  Thou    wilt    suck    the    milk    of    nations,   and    royal    breasts    wilt  30 

thou   suck, '3 
And  thou  wilt  know  that   I,  Jhvh,   am   thy  deliverer,  and   that 

thy  redeemer  is  the  Hero  of  Jacob."" 


60,  12  -The  nation  and    royal    house  that  will    not   serve  thee  shall    perish,   and    the 
nations  shall  be  laid  waste. 
* 
14  ^at  the  soles  of  thy  feet  will  bow  down  all  those  who 


60,17-61,3  — '•t^i^iii- 5  'ieaia^ -m^^a**—  '"^ 

60, 17  Instead    of  brass   I   will   bring    gold,   and    instead    of  iron   I   will 

bring  silver," 
And    I   will   make    peace    thy  governor,    and    righteousness    thy 

magistrate, 
is  Violence  will  no  more  be  heard  of  in  thy  land,   nor  desolation  5 

and   destruction  within  thy  borders. 
And    thou    wilt    call    thy    walls     Deliverance,     and    thy    gates 

Renown. 

19  No  more  will  the  sun  serve  thee  for  light,'*  nor  for  brightness 

the  moon   illuminate  thee,  10 
But   Jhvh   will    be   to   thee   an   everlasting    light,    and    thy   God 

thy  adornment. 

20  Thy  sun   will  set  no  more,   and  thy  moon  will   not  wane,'^ 
But   Jhvh    will    be   to   thee    an    everlasting    light,   and   thy   days 

of  mourning  will  be  ended.  15 

21  Thy  people   will   be   all    righteous,  they  will    possess    the    land 

for  ever. 
The    scion    of  <Jhvh'S)  planting,   the   work   of  <His-  hands,   with 

which   He  adorns   Himself 

22  The  smallest  will  become  a  clan,   the  least  a  large   nation;  20 
I,  JnvH,     *      *     will  hasten  it  in  its  time. 

2.  Z^i  ^itvant  of  tU  JSorb  eofifoqutjee 

concerning  the  gracious  message  committed   to  him,   and  Jhvh  confirms  his 

uiird.'* 

61,1  'nr^HE    spirit   of  the    Lord   Jhvh    is    upon  me,  because  Jhvh  25 
1      has  anointed    me,'^ 
*And*    has    sent    me    to    bring    good    news    to    the    afflicted,   to 

bind  up  the  broken-hearted. 
To    proclaim     liberty    to    the    captives,"'    and    opening    of    the 

eyes  to  the  -blind •,''  30 

2  To  proclaim  Jhvh's  year  of  favor    and    the    day    of  vengeance 

of  our  God,^° 

3  To    comfort  all  mourners  <>  ,   to  give  them  instead  of  ashes  ='  a 

coronal. 
Oil  of  joy  for  the  garment  of  mourning,  a  song    of  praise  for  35 

a  failing  spirit," 


60.17  "and  instead  of  timber,  brass;   and  instead  of  stones,   iron  19  *by  day 


I09  — **e#^Sf  5  38'>"'B -«®*^sM-s —  61,4-62,4 

61  So    that    men    will    call    them  <Children>  of   Righteousness,    the 
Planting  of  Jhvh  with  which   He  adorns   Himself^' 

4  They  will  build  up  the  ancient  ruins,    they  will   rear  again  the 

desolations  of  the  forefathers. 
They    will  renew  the  ruined  cities,  the  places    long    ago    made  5 

desolate. 

5  Strangers   will   stand,  and   feed   your   flocks,   and  aliens  will  be 

your  ploughmen  and  vine-dressers, 

6  But  ye,  —  priests  of  jHVH^t  will  ye  be  called,  ministers  of  our 

God  will  ye  be  named,  10 
The    riches    of    the    nations    will    ye    eat,    and    their    splendor 

<will  be  your  adornment-. 

7  Because  ctheirj  contumely  was  in   double   measure, =5  and  shame 

cand  spitting)  was  their  lot,^* 
Therefore  in  their  land  they  will  possess  double,   their  joy  will  15 
S  For  I,  Jhvh,  love  justice,  I   hate  <unjust>  spoil, ='  [be  everlasting. 
And    I  will   give  ♦them*  their   recompense  faithfully,  and  make 

with   them  an  everlasting  covenant. '^^ 
9  Their    posterity    will   be    known    among    the    nations,  and  their 

offspring  amidst  the  peoples ;  20 
All    that    look    on    them    will     discern     that     the\'    are    a    race 

which  Jhvh   has  blessed. 
II  For  as  the    earth  puts    forth  its  sprouts,   and    a  garden    causes 

the  things  sown  in  it  to  spring  up. 
So  will  the  Lord  Jhvh  cause  victory  to  spring  up,  and  renown  25 

before  all   nations. 

[I  will  not  rest.^s 

62,1  For  Zion's   sake   I  will   not  be   silent,  and  for  Jerusalem's  sake 

Till    her    victor}'   go    forth    like    the   brightness    +of  the    dawn-, 

and  her  deliverance  like  a  torch  that  is   lighted.  30 

2  Nations  will  see  thy  victory,   and  all   kings  thy  glory,  [] 

3  And    thou    wilt    be    a    crown    of    adornment    in    Jhvh'.s     hand, 

and  a  royal  diadem    in  the   open  hand  of  thy  God.   ['] 

4  No  more  wilt   thou   be  named   Forsaken,  and   thy  land**  iDeso- 

late.,  35 
But  thou  wilt  be  called  Well-pleasing,  and  thy  land  Married  ;3° 


62,  2^  "and  thou  wilt  be  called  bj'  a  new  name  which  Jhvh's  mouth  will  determine 
4a  *  will  no  more  be  named 


62,5-61 ,10  — ^-H^etSf  5  38*io5  •*?S3#iH-s^ —  no 

62  For  JuVH   is  well  pleased   with   thee,   and    thy    land   will   ^again* 

be  married. 

5  For  ♦as*  a    young    man    marries  a  virgin,   'So*   rhe    who    builds 

thee  upi3'  will   marry  thee. 
And   with   the  joy  of  a  bridegroom  over  a  bride  thy   God  will  5 

joy   over  thee. 

6  Over  thy  walls,   O  Jerusalem,   I   have  set  watchmen  ;3= 

The  whole  day  and   the   whole   night   through    they  are    never 
Ye  who  are  Jhvh's  remembrancers,  take  ye  no  rest,       [silent. 

7  And  give   Him,   *too*,   no  rest,   until   He  establish,  10 
And   until   He  make  Jerusalem  a  renown  in  the  earth. 

8  By  His  right  hand  has  Jhvh  sworn,  and  by  His  strong  ami; 
Surely  I  will  no  more  give  thy  wheat  to  be  food  for  thy  foes, 
Nor  shall    strangers   drink    thy  new    wine  for  which  thou   hast 

labored;  15 

9  But    those    who    have    garnered    -tthe    wheat*  shall    eat    it,   and 

praise  Jhvh, 

And    those    who     have    gathered     in    'the   '  new    wine    in    the 

cluster*'   shall   drink   it  in  my  holy  coiuts.33 

[people!  20 

10  Pass  through,  pass  through  the   gates!     Clear  the  way  for  the 
Cast  up,   cast  up  the  highway !      Free  it  from  stones !  3^ 

Lift  up  a  banner  over  the  peoples  !  [of  the  earth. 

11  Behold,  Jhvh   has  made  *redemptiont  to  be  heard   to    the    end 

Say  ye  to  the  Sons  of  Zion :   Behold,  deli\erance  comes ;  [Him.  25 
Behold,   His    wage    is    with    Him,   and    His    recompense    before 

12  Men  will  call  them  The  Holy  People,  Jhvh's   Redeemed   Ones; 
And  thou  wilt  be   called  Sought  Out,  The  Unforsaken  City. 

Prophecy  8. 

61,10  T    T  EARTILY  will   I  rejoice  in  Jhvh,  my  soul  shall  triumph 
1    1    in  my  God, 

For    He    has    clothed     me    with    garments    of    delixerance,    in 
the  mantle  of  righteousness   He  has  arrayed  me ; 
-I   rejoice*    like    a    bridegroom    who    'Orders>    *his*   coronal,''  and  35 

like  a  bride  who  decks  herself  with   her  jewels. 
****************** 


'-W 


^*s«!#e@Ss- 5  JeatoB -ssssis**-! —  63,1-65,2 

Prophecy  9. 

Mnot^ct  (Pieion  of  ©cfivcrance. 

(  .432.    B.  C.) 

HO    is    he    who    comes    from    Edom,    in  bright-red  gar-* 


ments  from  Bozrah?  5 

So    splendid    in    his    apparel,     marching-   in    the    fulness    of   his 

strength? 
It  is   I,   who  <am   glorified>    in   the   redress  of   wrong,   *and  am* 

mighty  to  deliver.' 

2  Why  is    there  red    on  Thine    apparel,   and  Thy    garments    like  10 

his  who  treads  in  the  wine-press? 

3  A    wine-trough    have    I    trodden, °   I   alone,   and    of   the  peoples 

there  was  no  man  with  meji 
So    I   <trod>   them    in    my    wrath,   and   <trampled>    them    in    my 

fur>',  15 
And  their  *red»    juice   >besprinkled-    my    garments, 3  and  all  my 

apparel   have   I  defiled ; 

4  For    a    day   of   vengeance  was    in    my   heart,    and    the  year    of 

my  redeemed   was  come.'* 

5  And   I  dooked>,  but  there  was  no  helper,  and  >was  astonished*,  20 

but  there  was  no   upholder. 
Therefore    mine    arm    helped    me;     and    my    >righteousncssii,   it 

upheld  me; 5 

6  And    I   <stamped>   upon    the    peoples    in   my   wrath,   and  .broke 

them  to  pieces-  in   my  fury,  25 
And  <spilled>  their  juice  on  the  ground. 
*****      **      *      *      ********* 


Prophecy   10. 

Z'^vcatcnin^e  to  t^c  ^amantan&; 

Promises   to   the   Faithful  Jews."  30 

( .4501    B.  c. ) 

65 , 1    T    OFFERED    admission    to    those    who    asked    not  -after    me> ;    I 

1    offered    my  oracles    to    those  who   sought  me  not;   I  said:   Here 

am  I,   here  am   I,   to  a    class    of   men    which   <called    not>   upon    my 

2  Name.=     I   have   spread   out    my  hands    all    the    day  to    unruly    and  35 

disobedient*  people,  who    follow    the   way^   which   is    not   good,   after 


65,3-14  - -.*e»^C<- 5  3ea»a5  ■ 

65,3  their  own   devices;    the  people   who  vex   me  to  my  face   continuall)-. 

4  who     sacrifice    in    gardens,''    and     burn    incense     upon    bricks ;5    who 
tarry    in    graves,*    and    lodge    in    tsecret    places> ;     who     eat     swine's 

5  flesh,'  and  -in-   whose  vessels  is  broth  of  unclean  meats;*  who  say: 
Keep  by  thyself,  come  not  too  near  me,   for  *else*   I  ishall    sanctif\'i  5 
thee."      ■•At*    such    things    there    is   a   smoke    in    my   nostrils,    a    fire 

6  that  burns    continually.      Behold,  it    is    recorded    before    me;    I    will 

7  not  keep    silence,    except    I    have    requited  []"    <their>    iniquities,    and 
the    iniquities    of  <their>    fathers    together,    says    Jhvh,    who    burned 
incense    upon    the    mountains,    and   dishonored   me    upon   the    hills ; '°  10 
I  will  measure  out  their  recompense   first,   [and  will   requite  it])  into 
their  bosom. 

8  Thus  says  Jhvh  :  As  when  new  wine  is  found  in  the  cluster. 
And  they  say;  Destroy  it  not,  for  a  blessing  is  in  it,"  [whole. 
So  will    I    do    for    my  servants'    sake,  that    I    destro\-    not    the  15 

9  And   I  will  bring  forth  from  Jacob  a  posterit}-,  and  from  Judah 

possessors  of  my  mountains. 
And  my  chosen  ones  shall   possess  the   land,  and  m\-  servants 

shall  dwell  therein, 

10  And  Sharon  shall  become  a  pasture  for  flocks,  and  the  \'alley  20 

of  Achor  a  resting  place  for  herds.® 

11  But  as  for  you  who  forsake  Jhvh,  who  forget  my  hoh'  moun- 

tain,'= 
Who  prepare  a   table  for  Fortune,   and  pour  out  mingled  wine 

for  Destiny, '3  25 

12  I   destine  you  for  the  sword,  to  the  slaughter  shall  ye  all  bow 

down; 
Because  when   I   called,   ye   did  not  answer;    when   I   spoke,   ye 

did  not  hear. 
But    did    that    which    \\as    evil    in    mine    eyes,  and    chose   that  30 

wherein   I   had  no  pleasure. 

13  Therefore  thus  says  the  Lord,  Jhvh  : 

Behold,  my  servants  shall   eat,   but   ye   shall   hunger; 

Behold,  my  servants  shall   drink,   but  ye  shall  thirst ; 

Behold,  my  servants  shall   rejoice,   but  ye   shall   be   abashed;      35 

14  Behold,  my  servants  shall  exult  for  gladness   of  heart. 

But   ye   shall    cr^'  out    for   grief  of  heart,  and    for  breaking   of 

spirit  shall  ye  wail. 

65,6  •'  into  their  bosom  10  *for  my  people  who  have  inquired  of  me 


113  — **g§^Ss- 5  3«<»'o5  ■^S*t«s*"=^  65,15-25 

65,15    And  ye  shall   leave  your  name  as  a   tform  of.  cursing  to  my\ 
chosen   ones,   .to  wit*:    And   let  the   Lord  Jhvh   slay  theeli 
But  <my'  servants  tshall   men  calb  by  another  name.'-t 

16  oHe  who  blesses  himself  in    the   land  will  bless  himself  by  the 

God  of  ifaithfulnessi,  5 
And    he  who    swears    in    the     land    will    swear    by   the    God 

of  ifaithfulnessi, j 
Because  the  former  troubles   are   forgotten,    and    because  theyj 

are   hidden   from    mine   eyes. 

17  Behold,    I   create  new   heavens   and  a  new  earth, "^     [to    mind.!  10 
The  former  things  shall   not   be  remembered,   nor  be    recalled 

iS     Rather   shall  -they*  rejoice    and   exult   for   ever   in   that   which 

I  create, 
For     behold,     I     create     Jerusalem  .anew*    as     an    exultation, 

and    her  people   as   a  joy,  15 

19  And   I   will   exult  in  Jerusalem,   and   rejoice  in   my  people. 
No    more    shall    there    be    heard   in   her    the   sound    of  weep- 
ing,   nor   the  sound   of  a   cry ; 

20  No  more  shall  there  be  an  infant  of  a  few  days. 

Nor  an  old  man  who  cannot  live  out  his  days  :  20 

The  youngest  shall   die  a  hundred   years  old,'"  but  the  sinner; 

shall  be  cut  off  by  the  curse. '^°i 

21  They   shall  build  houses,  and  inhabit    them ;    and   plant   vine-' 

yards,   and  eat  their  fruit; 

22  They    shall    not    build,    and    another    inhabit;    they    shall    not  25 

plant,  and  another  eat, 

For   like   the    days   of  the   trees'^    shall    be    the    days    of  my' 

people,   and  the  work  of  their  hands  shall  my  chosen 

ones  wear  out., 

23  They  shall    not    labor    for    nothing,   or    bring    forth   +children*  30 

to  see  them  perish, 
P"or    they    are    a    race    blessed    by  Jhvh,    and   their    offspring 

♦  shall    remain,  with    them. 

24  Before    they  call,   I  will  answer;    while  they  yet  speak,   I  will 

hear.  35 

25  ♦Then*  shall    the    wolf  and    the    lamb    feed    together,    and    the 

lion  eat  straw  like  the  ox." 
No  harm  or  destruction  shall  there   be  in   all  my  holy  moun- 
tain,'«  says  Jhvh. 


65 ,  20  "a  hundred  years  old  25  *  but  the  serpent,  dust  shall  be  its  food 


66,1-6  — !^««^Bi- 5  Ss*'"?  ^Sg^^sM.-* —  114 

Prophecv    II. 

^3<i  ^cmpfc  of  (^c  ^amari^ane; 

Their  final  destruction;'   ('4321  B.C.) 

[footstool, 
66,1  '  I  ^HUS  say.s  Jhvh;    Heaven    is    my  throne,   and     Earth    my  5 
A      What    house    would    ye    build    for    me,   and    what    place 

as    my  habitation  ?' 

2  For    all    this    has    my   hand    made,  and  -mine   is-  all   this,   says 

Jhvh, 
But    upon    such   a    man   do   I    look,   upon   the   afflicted  and  the  10 
downcast,   and  him  who  tremblingly  follows  my  word.' 

3  He    who    slaughters    an    ox,   tbut  also*   slays  a  man  ;3    he  who 

sacrifices  a  sheep,   -but   also*  strangles  a  dog ; 
He    who    brings    an    oblation,    -but    also*    pours     out;  swine's 

blood ;   he  who  burns  incense,   -tbut  also*   blesses  an  idol :  15 
As    these    have    chosen    their    own    ways,  and    their    soul    has 

pleasure  in  their  abominations, 

4  So    will    I    choose    troubles    that    shall    harass    them,    and    the 

things  which  they  dread  will  I  bring  on  them, 
Because    I    called,  and   none   answered;    I    spoke,  and  they  did  20 

not  answer. 
But    did    that    which    was    evil    in    mine    eyes,   and    chose    that 

wherein   I   had  no  pleasure. 
5  Hear  the  word  of  Jiivh,  ye  who  tremblingly  follow   His  word: 

Your  brethren,  who  hate  you,  who  loathe  you  for  His  Name's  25 
sake,*  have  said ;  Let  Jhvh  imanifest  His  glor)'i  that  we  may  look 
upon  your  joy;  but  they  themselves  shall  be  put  to  shame. 
17  Those  who  consecrate  and  purify  themselves  for  the  gardens,  the 
one  -tconsecrating*  the  other  <on  the  tip  of  the  ear),  who  eat 
swine's  flesh,  and  the  cswarming  creatures;,  and  mice,'  together  3° 
iS^  shall  they  come  to  an  end,  says  Jhvh.  And  as  for  me,  their 
works  and  their  devices     *      *     «      * 

Prophecy   12. 

^3^  Oppoetfe  ^atce  of  ^ctmakm  anb  t^c  ^oetih  (Uafion©. 

( '432.  n.  c.  1  35 

ARK!    a  roaring  from  the  city;    hark!    from  the  Temple 
*it  comes*;' 
Hark!    Jhvh   who  renders   -their*   deserts  to   His  enemies. 


H 


115  — »*^^5Ss- 5  Jeaia^ -i*s«*g3s*« —  66,7-20 

66,7  (But    shej,   before    she  travailed,   brought  forth    <a.  soid,    [child.*! 
Before  her  throes   came   to   her,  she   was   delivered    of  a    male 

8  Who  has  heard  such  a  thing?    who  has  seen  the  like? 
Is  cthe  people  of)  a  land  brought  forth  in  a  day? 

Or  is  a  nation  begotten  at  once?  [her  sons.  5 

For    no    sooner    was    Zion    in    travail    than    she    brought    forth 

9  Should    I    bring    to    the    birth,   and    not   cause   to   bring   forth? 

says  Jhvh  ; 
Or  should  I    who    cause    to    bring    forth,   hold    it    back?     says 

thy  God.  lo 

10  cRejoicc)   Jerusalem,  and   exult   over    her,   all   ye  who  love  her. 

Be  rapturously  joyful   with   her,  all  ye  who  mourned  over  her,3 

11  That    ye    may    suck,    and    be   satisfied,   from   the   breast   of   her 

consolations, 
That    ye  may  drink  deeply,   with    delight,  of  the   <wine'  of  her  15 

glory. 

12  For  thus  says  Jhvh  :  Behold,  I  direct  peace  to  her  like  a  river, 
and  the  glory  of  the  nations'*  like  an  overflowing  torrent,  that  ye 
may  suck    ttherefrom'.      Upon  the  side  will  ye   be  borne, ^  and   upon 

13  the  knees    will   ye   be   fondled.     As  one  whom  his   mother  comforts,  20 
so    will    I    comfort    you,  and    in    Jerusalem''  shall    ye    be    comforted. 

14  When  ye  see  it,  your  heart  will  be  joyful,  and  your  bones  will 
spring  up  like  young  grass ;'  and  men  will  perceive  the  -loving- 
kindness-     of    Jhvh     towards     His    servants,    and    cHisj    lindignation 

15  towards    His    enemiesi.      For    behold,    Jhvh    will    come   clike^   a    fire,  25 
and  like  a  whirlwind  +will  be+   His   chariots,  to  pay   back  His   wrath 

16  in  burning  heat,  and  His  rebuke  in  flames  of  fire.  By  fire  will 
Jhvh  hold  judgment  <upon  all  the  earth>,  and  by  His  sword  ^  upon 
all   flesh,  and  many  will   be  the  slain  b)'  Jhvh. 

iS''  cFor    behold,   the     time^   approaches     when     I     will     gather    all  30 

19  nations  and  tongues,  so  that  they  come,  and  see  my  glory.  I  will 
work  a  sign  among  them,'  and  will  send  those  of  them  who 
escape  to"  the  far-off  countries,  which  have  not  heard  my  Name, 
nor    seen    my    glory.      They    will    show    forth    my   glory   among   the 

20  nations,   so   that  they  bring  all  your  brethren  out  of  all  the   nations  35 
as  an   oblation  to  Jhvh'""  up   to    my    holy    mountain,   to    Jerusalem,] 


66,19    "''""^  nations,  Tarshish,  -Put-,  and  Lud,  -Meshech-,  'Rosh>,  Tubal,  and.  Javan 
* 
20    "upon    horses,    and    in    chariots,    and    in    Utters,    and    upon    mules,    and    upon 
dromedaries 


66,21    34.4  — »*<#(€«:- 5  36<>'i  6 -Wss^a**—  "^ 

66  says    Jnvii,   as    the    Israelites    brint;    the    oblation"   in    a    pure  vessel 

21  to    the    house    of   Jn\ii.       And    some    of  them    also   will    I    take    as 

22tLevite  priests.,"  says  Jhvh.      For  as  the   new   heavens  and  the  new 

earth,  which   1   make, '3  will   continue  before  me,  says  Jhvh,  so  shall 

your  posterity  and  your  name    contuiue.  5 

Appendix. 

(Much  !ater)'4 

23  Moreover  from   new  moon   to   new  moon,   and   from   sabbath    to 
sabbath,    will    all    flesh    come    to    worship    before    me, '5    says    Jhvh  ; 

24  and   going   out  they  will    look    upon  the   carcasses    of  the   men  who  10 
rebelled    against    me,'^  for    thereof  the    worm    *of   corruption*  cannot 
die,   nor    can    the    fire    be    quenched,'''  and    they    will    be    an    abhor- 
rence to  all  flesh. 

Prophecv   13. 

(P^ngcance  on  <B6om  anb  f6e  (Uaftone.'  15 

( <4ooi  n.  c,   or  later) 

34,1  T~\RAW  nigh,  ye  nations,  to  hear, 
1_^   And  ye  peoples,  attend  ; 
Let  the  earth  and  its  fulness   hear, 
The  world  and"  its  offspring.  20 

2  For  Jhvh   has  indignation   against  all   nations, 
And   wrath  against  all  their  host. 

***     *********  [slaughter. 

He     has     laid     a    ban     upon     them,    has     gi\en     them    up    to 

3  Their  slain  will  be  cast  forth,  25 
Their  carcasses  —  a  stench  therefrom  will  go  up ; 

The  mountains  will  dissolve  with  their  blood, 

4  All  the  'hills>  will   rot, 

The  heavens  will   roll   together  like  a   scroll. 

And  all  their  host  will  fade  *and  falK,  30 

As  the  leaves  fade  *and  fall*  from  the  vine. 

And  as  that  which  fades  -and  falls*  from  the  fig-tree. 


34.1  ^all  4  "the  host  of  lieaven 


117  ^<>*e#es3!- 5  3e(»ta6 -iSeij^sM-"—  34, 5-13 

34,5    For  talready*  drunken   cwith   His  wrathi 
Is  cJhvh'S)  sword    in  heaven ;' 
Behold,   upon  Edom  it  comes  down, 
And   upon  the  people   of  His   ban,    for  judgment. 

6  The  sword  of  Jhvh  is  glutted  with  blood,  5 
It  is  moistened  with  fat, 

With  the  blood  of  lambs  and  he-goats, 
With   the   fet  of  the   kidneys   of  rams. 3 

For  Jhvh  has  a  sacrifice  in  Bozrah,'' 

And  a  great  slaughter  in  the  land  of  Edom;  10 

7  Wild  oxen  will  be  struck  down  with    them. 
And  bullocks  together  with  steers. 

Their  land  will  become  drunken  with  blood, 
And  their  dust  soaked  with  fat ; 

8  For  a  day  of  vengeance  has  Jhvh,  15 
A  year  of  reprisal  for  the  quarrel  of  Zion. 

9  Edom's  torrents  are  turned  into  pitch, 
And  the  dust  thereof  into  brimstone, 
Its  land  becomes  pitch, 

10  Night  and  day  burning.'  20 

It  will  be  unquenched  for  ever. 

Its  smoke  will  go  up  from  age  to  age; 

It  will  lie  waste  perpetually. 

There  will  be  none  passing  to  cand  froj  therein. 

11  The  pelican  and  the  bittern  will  take  possession  thereof,  25 
And  the  eagle-owl  and  the  raven  dwell  therein  ; 

cJhvH)  will  stretch  out  thereon 
The  measuring-line  of  Chaos  and  the  plummet  of  Desolation. 

12  <Satyrs   will   dwell  therein, 

And'  its   nobles   <will   disappear*;  30 

There  will  be   no   royalty  there  to   proclaim,* 
And  all   Edom's  princes  will  be  no   more. 

13  Where  its  palaces   stood,   there  spring   up  thorns. 
Nettles  and  thistles  are  in  its  fortresses ; 

It  is   changed  into  a   haunt  of  jackals,  35 

An  enclosure  for  ostriches. 


34.14-35.4  —'•HmfSff  5  'ieaia^  •stam^m*"—  ii8 

34, 14  And   wild  cats  join   the   hyenas, 

And  satyr  there  meets   with  satyr ;' 
Only  there   does   Lilith   repose,* 
And   a  place  of  rest   find   for   herself 

15  There  the  arrow-snake  nestles  and   lays, 
It  hatches  and  broods  over  its  ceggS'; 
Only  there  do   the  vultures  assemble,  0 

t[None  is  without  its  fellow]). 

16  Search   it  out"  in   the  book   of  Jhvh  ; 
Not  one   of  *a\U  these   is    missing.  []' 

For  the   mouth   of  Jhvh — -it   has   commanded. 
And   His   breath  —  it   has   collected  them. 

17  He    Himself  has   cast  the   lot   for  them. 

And    His   hand   has   di\ided  it   tto   them*   with   the   line; 

For  ever  shall  they  possess   it, 

Age  after  age  shall  they   dwell   therein. 


Prophecy   14. 

Z^c  (Bof6cn  Jigc  after  f^c  (X)cngcance. 

(Same  date) 

35,1  '  I  ^HERE  will  be  joy   in    the  wilderness   and   the   desert,  20 

1      And  the  pasture-land  will  exult  and  burst  forth ; 

2  Like  the   narcissus,'   will   it  burst  into  bloom. 

And   exult,   how   greatly!    and   resound  witli   triumph. 

The  glor)-   of  Lebanon   is   given  to  it. 

The   splendor  of  Carmel   and  Sharon ;  25 

Those  will  see  the   glor}'  of  Jhvh, 

The  splendor  of  our  God. 

3  Strengthen   the   hands   that   hang  down. 
And  the  tottering  knees   make  firm ; 

4  Say  to  those   whose  hearts  beat  wildly  :  30 
Be  strong,   fear  not ! 


34.  16  -  <!   read 


iig  ^**^«Sif  5  Ssoia^ -©ssisH.^-  35.5-10 

35  Behold,   your   God  ccomes> ! 

He  will  csurely  avenge    His  people;; 
There  comes  a  retribution  of  God ; 
He   Himself  comes   to   deliver  you. 

5  Then   will  the  eyes    of  the  blind  be  opened,  5 
And  the  ears   of  the   deaf  unstopped; 

6  Then  will  the   lame   man   leap  like  a  hart, 

And  the  tongue   of  the  dumb  give  a  shout  of  joy. 

For  waters  break  out  in  the  wilderness, 

And  in  the  pasture-land  torrents,  10 

7  And  the  parched  ground  becomes  a  lake, 
And  the  thirsty   land   brimming   fountains. 

In  the   haunt  of  jackals  cand  wild  cats>, 

♦Will  be*  la  resting-placo  cfor  your  flocks  and  your  herds), 
The  enclosure  tof  the  ostriches)  15 

tWill  be  filled'  with   reeds   and   rushes. 

8  There  will  a  <pure>  causeway  arise, ^ 
It  will  be  called  The  Holy  Way; 
The  unclean  will  not  pass  over  it, 

And  fools  will  err  elsewhere."  20 

9  No  lion  will  be  there. 

No  violent  beast  will  come   up  thither,^* 
But  <thereon>  the  redeemed  will  walk, 
10  And  Jhvh's  freed  ones  will  return. 

They  will  come  to   Zion  with   exultation,  25 

And  with  everlasting  joy  upon  their  head ; 
Gladness  and  joy  will  overtake  ctheni), 
"  Sorrow  and  sighing  will  flee  away.t 


35 , 8  "  indeed,  it  is  for  'His  people>  when  going  on  pilgrimage 
^^  *such  shall  not  be  found  there 


63,7-15  -^>*ei«e>  5  38ata5  ^SS««*«—  120 

PROPHtXV     15. 

j(6racf,  afmoef  at  ite  faef  gaep,  compfatna  to  t^t  £or5." 


J 


( '350'  B.  c.  ) 

63,7     J  HVH'S   loving  acts   will   I    praise,   Jhvh's  deeds   of  renown, 
In   proportion    to   all   that,   Jhvh,   o   iso   richi  in   goodness,"  5 

has   wrought  for  us, 
Has    wrought    for    us    according    to    His    compassion,   and    His 

manifold   lovingkindness. 

8  He     said:     Surely,    they    are    my    people,    sons    that    will    not 

prove   false ;  10 

9  So   He  became  to  them  a  deliverer  -from-  all  their  distress. 

<No    angelic    messenger>,   »but*    His    -own*    presence^    delivered 
In    His    love   and   clemency    He    redeemed   them,  [them. 

And  took  them  up,  and  carried  them  all  the  days  of  old. 

10  But  they   resisted,   and   pained    His    Holy   Spirit, 3  15 
So    He    changed    into    an    enemy    towards    them,    He    Himself 

fought  against  them. 

11  Then     *Israeh    remembered     the    days    of    old,*   tthe    years    of 

past  ages),  ■•saying*  :* 

Where    is    He    who    brought    up    from    the    sea^   the    shepherd  20 

of  His   flock? 
Where     is     He     who     placed     within     ^His    flock*     His     Holy 

Spirit? 

12  Who  sent  forth   His  glorious  arm  at  the  right  hand  of  Moses,* 
Who   cleft   the   waters   before   them   to    make    Himself  an   ever-  25 

lasting   name? 
[stumbling, 

13  *  Where  is*   He  who  made  them  go  through  the  deeps'  without 

14  Like    a    horse   through    the    pasture-land,    like   cattle   which    go 
******      ****x  [down  to  the  valley,^  30 
*****      cand'  the  spirit  of  Jhvh  <leading  them-? 
Thus     didst     Thou     guide     Thy    people,    to     make     Thyself    a 

glorious   name. 

15  Look    hither    from    heaven,'    and    behold    from    Thy    hol_\-    and 

glorious   palace !  35 


63.  7   'to  the  House  of  Israel  11  *His  -Servant-  Mo.ses 


121  — •*^«3Ss- 5  3e<»'o5 -«si»«~= —  63,16-64,6 

63  Where    are    Thy    zeal    and    Thy    prowess?    -where    are+   Thy 

lively  sympathy  and  Thy   compassion? 

16  cAh,   do  not)    'Thou  restrain  Thyself>,  for  Thou   art  our  father; 
Abraham  knows   us   not,   and   Israel   does   not   regard    us,'° — 
Thou,    Jhvh,    art    our    father;    our  Redeemer    from    of   Old    is  5 

Thy   name. 

17  Why  causest   Thou    us,    O    Jhvh,    to   err  from   Thy  ways,    and 

hardenest   our   hearts   that   we    fear  Thee    not?" 
Return     for    Thy    servants'    sake,    -for-     the    tribes     of    Thine 

inheritance !  10 

iS  But    a    little    while"    have    <we>    had    possession    of   Thy    holy 

<mountain>;    our  foes   have  trodden   down  Thy  sanctuary. 

19  We  are  become  <like>  those  over  whom   long   time  Thou    hast 

not  ruled,   over  whom  Thou   hast  claimed   no  lordship. '3 

64,1  Oh,    that    Thou   wouldst   rend   the   heavens,   tand*    come  down,  15 
that  before  Thee  the  mountains   might  shake, 

2  That    as    a    fire  of  thay>    blazes  up,   +so+   fire  <might  flame  from 

heaven), 
To    make    known    Thy    Name    to    Thy    foes,    so     that    nations 

might  tremble  before  Thee,  20 

3  When   Thou    didst    terrible   things   which    we   hoped   not   for,'^' 

and  whereof    from  of  old  no  man   had  heard ! 

4  *Yea+,   <the  ear   has   not  heard>,  +and*   the  eye  has   not  seen 
■Thy    deeds>  cand    acts    of    prowessj  <which    Thou>  wilt   do    for 

<those>  who   wait  for  cThee^.  25 

5  cOh,    that    Thou    mightst    meet>^  <those   who   work-    righteous- 

ness, -and>  who   remember  <the  ways  Thou   wouldst   have>. 

•But*    behold.    Thou    wast    wroth,    and    we     sinned,    -wroth*  tat 

our  breach   of  faith,   and   we  became  guilty^.'s 

6  We     all     became     like     one     who     is     defiled,     and     all     our  30 

righteous   deeds   like  a  woman's    unclean   garment. 

We    all    withered     like    leaves,    and,    like    the    wind,    our    guilt 

_  icarriedi   us  away; 


64,3  "that  Thou  wouldst  come  down,  that  the  mountains  might  shake  before  Thee 
* 
5  *him  who  exults,  and 


64  ,  7  -  24 , 5  — »*e^^»-  5  3ea<a5  • 

64,7  There    was    none    who     called    on    Thy    Name,     who*    aroused 

himself  to   lay  hold  on  Thee. 
For  Thou   hadst  hid  Thy  face   from   us,  and   hadst  <deUvered> 

us   into  the  power  of  our  guilt. 

8  And  now,   O   Jhvh,   Thou  art  our  father;  5 
We   are   the    clay,   and   Thou    our    fashioner,    and   the   work   of 

Thy  hands  are  we  all. 

9  Be    not    very     sore    displeased,    O    Jhvh,    and     remember     not 

iniquity  for  e\er; 
Ah!    do  but   look   hither;    Thy  people  are  we  all.  10 

10  Thy  holy  cities  are  become  a   desert,'^"  Jerusalem   a  'Curse>, 

11  Our  holy  and  glorious   house,  where  our  fathers  praised  Thee,'' 
Has   been  burned  with    fire,  and    all   that  we   prized  is  become 

a  ruin. 

12  Wilt    Thou    restrain    Thyself,    Jhvh,     at    such    things?     +Wilt  15 

Thou*   be  silent,   and  afflict   us   \'ery  sore? 

Prophecy    16. 

(proepcce©  at  tU  cnb  of  "f^i©  .Sge.'" 


1.    ZU  B&Bt  Judgment  ani  t^i-  ICtngbom  of  (Sob. 

(About  334  B.  c.)  20 

24,1   "TOEHOLD,  Jhvh  makes  the  earth    desert    and  desolate.   He  turns 

2  -D  it  upside  down,  and  scatters  its  inhabitants.  It  shall  be,  as 
with  the  people,  so  with  the  priest;  as  with  the  servant,  so  with 
his  master;  as  with  the  maid,  so  with  her  mistress;  as  with  the 
buyer,  so  with  the  seller;  as  with  the  lender,  so  with  the  borrower;  25 

3  as  with  the  debtor,  so  with  the  creditor.  The  earth  shall  be  utterly 
desert  and  clean  despoiled,  for  Jhvh   has   spoken   the  word. 

4  The  earth  faints,   it  fades  away, 
The  world  fails,   it  fades  away, 

tHigh  heaven,   likei  the  earth,   fails.  30 

5  The  earth  has  been  profaned  by  the  touch  of  its  inhabitants, 
In  that  they  have  transgressed  the  commandments,  violated 
Broken  the  everlasting   covenant ;"  [the  statute^^ 


64,  10  -Zion  is  become  a  desert 


123  ^«4^«€es- 5  38ata5  ^®»*3*«—  24,6-19 


34,6  Therefore  a  curse  devours   the  earth, 

And  those  who  dwell  thereon    suffer  for  their  guilt, 
Therefore  earth's  inhabitants   ccease  to  be>, 
Few  men  are  left. 

7  The  grapes  fail,   the  vinet-blossom*  fades,  5 
All  the  glad  of  heart  do  sigh. 

8  The  joy  of  timbrels   ceases, 

The   uproar  of  those  who   are  jubilant  ends, 
The  joy  of  the   lute  ceases. 

9  No  more  do  they  drink  wine  with   song,  10 
Mead   is  bitter  to  those  who  drink  it. 

10  Broken  down  is  the  City  of  Chaos, 3 

Closed  every  house   so   that   it  cannot   be  entered. 

11  In  the  streets   they  cry  because  of +the  failure*  of  the  wine; 

All   gladness   has   <passed  away>;  15 

Joy  has  been   banished   from   the  earth. 

12  In   the  city  is   left  desolation. 

And  the  gate  is  battered   to   ruins.'' 


13  Yea,   thus  will  it   be  throughout   the  earth,  [trees, 
In   the   midst   of   the   peoples,   as   at   the   shaking    of  the   olive-  20 
As  at  the   gleaning  of  the   grapes,   when   the  vintage    is    done. 5 

14  Those   tyonder+    send  forth  resounding  cries, 
Because  of  Jhvh's   majesty  they   shout  from   the   sea : 

15  Therefore   in   the   far  countries    give   honor   to   Jhvh,  [God.* 
In  the  far  countries   of  the   sea   to  the   Name  of  Jhvh,  Israel's  25 

16  From    the    earth's    border<s>   we    have    heard    songs    of    praise: 

Glory  tis   come*   for  the  righteous !  i 
But  I  say :   For  me,   miserj' ;    for  me,   misery ;    alas  for  me ! 
The  robbers  rob ;  yea,  robbers  rob  *a  perfect*  robbery,     [earth ! 

17  Terror,    trap,    and    snare  ^    are    upon    thee,   O   inhabitant    of  the  30 
iS  Whoso    flees    from    the    noise    of  the    terror,   will    fall    into    the 

trap ; 
And    whoso     escapes    from    the    trap    will    be    taken     m     the 

snare. 
For  lattices   from   high   heavens   have   opened,  35 

And  the  earth's   foundations   tremble. 
19  The  earth   breaks,   breaks. 
The  earth   cracks,   cracks. 
The  earth   shakes,   shakes. 


24,20-27.12  — ■^•i^&Sf- 5  "^eaiat)  ■Dss^vst'^ —  124 

24,20  The   earth    reels,    it   reels    like  a   drunkard, 
And   rocks   to  and   fro   like  a   hammock; 
Its   rebellion    lies   heavy   upon   it, 
It  falls,   and   will   not   rise  acjain. 


21  In   that   day   it   will   come  to   pass  [in   the   height,  5 
That  JnvH»'.s  wratht  will  visit  the   host  of  the  Uieavenl}-*  height 
And   the   kings   of  the  earth   on  the    earth. 

22  They  W'ill  be   swept  together  as   prisoners   into  a  pit, 
And   led  dow-n   to  be   confined  in  a  dungeon. 

And  after  many   days   will   they  be   visited. '  10 

23  Then   will  the  moon   be   confounded,   and  the  sun   ashamed, 
Because    Jhvh    Sabaoth   is    become   king   on    Mount   Zion    and 
And  before   His   elders   is   glory.  [in  Jerusalem, 

25,6    On    this    mountain  will  Jhvh   Sabaoth   make   to   all  peoples 

A  feast  of  fat  things,   a  feast  of  wines  on  the   lees,  15 

Of  fat  things  full  of  marrow,  of  wines  on  the  lees  well  strained.'" 

7  On   this   mountain   will    He   annihilate 
The  veil   which   veils   all   peoples. 

The   covering  which   covers  all   nations ; 

8  "Yea,   the   Lord    Jhvh   will  wipe  away  tears   from  all  faces,  20 

And  the  reproach  of  His  people  will  He  take  away  throughout 
Jhvh   has  spoken  it.  [all   the  earth;" 

26, 20  Come,   my  people,   enter  into  your  chambers. 
And  shut  your  doors   behind   )-ou ; 

Hide  thyself  for  a  little   moment,  25 

Until   *His+   indignation  be  overpast. 
21    For  behold,  Jhvh   comes   out  of  His   place 

To  visit  the  iniquity  of  the  earth's  inhabitants    upon  them ; 

The  earth   will   disclose  its  bloodshed. 

And   will   no   more   cover   its   slain.  30 

27,1  In    that    day   will    Jhvh    punish    with    His    sword,   so    hard    and 

great    and     strong,    the     Leviathan,    the     fleeing     serpent;     and     the 

12  Leviathan,  the  coiled  serpent;   and  \\ill  slay  the  sea-monster."    And 


25,8   "He  will  annihilate  death  for  ever 


125  ^**6j|«ae- 5  Jeaia^ -si^^a*-:—  27,13-26,2 

27  in    that    day    Jhvh   will    beat    out  ears  of  wheat    from  The  River   to^ 
the    Torrent    of  Eg)pt,   and  ye    will  be  gleaned  up  one   by   one,    ye 

13  Sons    of   Israel. '=1      In    that    day    also    a    great    horn    will    be    blown, 
and    those    will    come    who    were    lost   in    the    land    of  Assyria,    and 
those   who   were   outcasts   in   the    land    of   Egypt,   and    they    will    do  5 
homage   to  Jhvh   on   the    holy   mountain,  in  Jerusalem. 

2.   tU  Bow  &6t(xti  of  Jevueafem. 

The  Cause  of  it,  and  the  Remedy. 
A  fragment  ( about  332  B.  c. ) 

■if*************"  10 

7   T   T  AS   He  smitten   it  as    He  smote  its   smiter? 

A   1    Or  was  it  slain   as  its  slayers  were  slain?  [] 
9  Therefore,    on    this     condition     may     the     guilt     of    Jacob    be 

expiated. 
Yea,   this   is   all  the   ♦desired*    result  of  pardoning  their   sin  :         15 
When  they  make  all  stones  of  altars  like  pounded  chalk-stones. 
So  that  Asherahs   and   pillars  of  the   sun   rise   up  no  more. 

10  For  the  fenced  city  is  solitary,  [like  the  wilderness ; 
An  abode  whose  inmates  have  been  scattered,  [*]  and  deserted 
There  calves  feed,  and  there  they  lie  down,   sand  consume  the  20 

branches  thereof.'-* 

11  When   its  twigs  are   dry,'^   they  are  broken   off, 
Women   come,   and  set  them   ablaze: 

For  it  is   not  a  discerning   people. 

Therefore  has  its   Maker  no  compassion   upon  it,  25 

And  its   Fashioner  shows  it  no   indulgence. 

3.    cE  militatm  (^ctroepect. 

(  '332'    B.  C.  ) 

26 . 1    y  N   that   day  shall  this   song  be  sung  in  the   land   of  Judah :  '* 

[and  bulwark. '7  30 
A    strong    city    is    ours,    -Hist    help    He    gives    ♦us*    for    walls 
2  Open    ye    the    gates     that    the    righteous     nation,    that     keeps 

faithfulness,    may   enter. 


I 


27,6  "in  -days-  to  come  Jacob  will  take  root,  Israel  will  blossom  and  bud;  and  they 

will  fill  the  face  of  the  world  with  fruit 
* 
8  *  by   affrighting    it,    by    scattering    it,    contend    with    it,   He  ive.xed:  it    with    His 
rough  blast  in  the  day  of  the  east  wind 


26,3-i6  -^>-»^m!f  5  'ieaia^  ■^i!tm^i*<—  126 

26,,^»The    man    of*  steadfast    mind    Thou    keepest    in    welfare-,    for 

in   Tliee  is   his  trust. 

4  Trust   ye   in    Jhv}I    for   ever,   for  ■>  Jhvh   is   an  eternal    Rock. 

5  For  He  has  cast  down  those  who  dwelt  on  high,  the  lofty  city,'^ 
Abasing  it  <>  even  to  the  ground,  bringing  it  even  to  the  dust.'  5 

6<>The  feet  of  the   afflicted'^   trample    upon    it,    the   steps    of  the 

helple.ss. 

7  Tlie  path  for  the  righteous  is  good  fortune  <>;   a  road  for  the 

righteous  Thou    levelest. 

8  Yea,  in  the  path  of  Thy  judgments,  O  Jhvh,  have  we  waited  10 

for  Thee,=° 
Thy   Name  and  Thy  praise  were  the  desire  of  ♦our+   soul. 

9  With  my  soul  I  desired  Thee;"  yea,  with  my  spirit  within  me 

I   sought  Thee  earnestly : 
When  "  Thy  judgments  come  on   the  earth,  the  inhabitants  of  15 

the  world   learn    righteousness. 

10    If    the    wicked    be    treated    with    clemency,    he    will    not    learn 

righteousness,   ^no,   not  even*   in   the   land  of  rectitude ; 

He  goes  on  doing  mischief,  and  cannot  see  the  majesty  of  Jhvh. 

iioUplifted   was   Thy    hand,   *but»  they  saw    it   not;    let   them  see  20 

it,   and   be  ashamed! 

Let    *Thy    zeal    for    Thy^  people,    let    the    fire  ^appointed*  for 

Thine   enemies,   devour  them,  |  O   Jhvh! 

[2    Thou   wilt  establish  prosperity   for  us,   for  indeed  all   our  work 

Thou    hast  wrought  for   us.  25 

13  O  Jhvh,  our  God!  other  lords  beside  Thee  have  had  dominion 

over  us ;" 
Only  of  Thee  tdo  we  make  our  boast'.  Thy  Name  do  we  praise. 

14  The    dead   will    not    live  *again*,  the   shades    will    not    rise;    to 

that  end  Thou  didst  punish  ♦them*;  30 
Thou  didst  destroy  them,  and  cause  all  memory  of  them  to  perish. 

15  Thou    hast    increased    the    nation  o,  Thcui    hast    glorified    Th\-- 

self,   Thou  hast  extended  far  all  the  bounds  of  the  land." 
i6i;In    trouble  'we>  looked    for    Thee;    <\ve  cried    out  in>  <distre.ss> 

<when>  Thy  discipline  came  on  <us>.  35 


25,12   'and   thy  steep,  higli  walls  He   casts  down,  brings   low,  levels  witli    the  ground, 
*  ■  [even   with  the  dnst^s 

26,    9  ''  in  tlie  night 


127  — »*^«agis- 5  3«a«ft? -^^f^**—  26,17-25,5 

26 ,  17    As  a  woman  with  child,  who  draws  near  her  time,"  cries  out 

in  her  pangs, 
I-''.  iS    So    were    we  -crying    out*   because    of  Thee,    O    Jhvh  !   |   we 

were  with  child,   we  writhed  *in  anguish*,* 
»Yea*,    we    brought    not    the    land    to    true    welfare,    nor    did  5 

dwellers  in  the  world  spring  to  life.^'' 
19    Thy    dead'  shall   arise;    <the>    inhabitants  of  the   dust    <shall> 

awake,  and  shout  for  joy; 
For  a   dew  of  lights  is  Thy  dew,  and  to  life  shall  the  earth  ' 

bring  the  shades. ""^  10 


4.  ,S  ^onj. 

(Same  date,  '332!  b.  c.) 

25,1     1\ /T  ^'  God,  O  Jhvh,  Thou  art, 

IVl    Thee   I  exalt,  Thy  Name  will  I  praise; 

Wonderful  deeds   hast  Thou  wrought,  15 

Old  prophetic  counsels  fulfilled.^'' 

2<>A  citadel  Thou   hast  turned  to  a  mound, 
To  ruin  a  fenced  city  falls ; 

Where  stood  towers  of  <insolence>  no  city  is  found. 
Nor  shall  men  ever  build   up  its  walls.  20 

3  Hence  to  Thee  they  give  honor  *and  praise*, 
Yea,   men  in  the  fierce  heathenland ; 

The  tyrants  fear  Thee  *all  their  days*,  | 
Because  cThou  hast  shown  Thy  right  hand^. 

4  As  a  fortress  to  the  weak  Thou  art  made, 
A  fortress  to  the  poor  in  his  woe, 
A  refuge  from  storms,   at  noontide  a  shade;* 

5^tBub  <insolent>  cpride>  Thou  laidst  low.' 


25 


26,17a  "writhes  iS^  *when  we  brought  forth,  it  was  wind 

19  'shall  live;  -their-  dead  bodies 

* 
25,4''.5*  ''for  the  blast  ot  the  tyrants  is  hke  a  rain-storm  in  'vvinter>,   |  Uke  heat  in  a  dry 

*  [place 

5b  ■  .like*  heat  by  the  shadow  of  clouds  the  song  of  the  tyrants  He  stills 


25.927,5  -^-s-^^SfS  36(»ia^  •iWssieM-s —  128 

5.  Jlnot^cr  ^ong. 

(Same  date,  13321  b.  c.  ) 

25,9     AND    it   will    be   said  in  tliat  day: 
-ii.  Behold,   there    is*  our    God, 

For    whom    we    waited  [']  5 

That    He    should    deli\'cr    us,  [] 

Let    us    exult    and    rejoice    in    His    deliverance. 

10  For    the    hand    of  Jhvh   will    rest 
Upon    this    mountain. 

But   Moab  will  be  trodden  down  in  her  place, ^^  10 

As  straw  is  trodden  down  in  the  water  of  a  dunghill. 

11  And  if  she  spread  forth   her  hands  therein. 
As   he  who  swims 

Spreads  forth  his  hands  to  swim,  [hands. 

Her   pride   will    be   subdued,  together   with   the    stricks!    of  her  15 


6.  cH  t^ivl  ^ong. 

(Same  date,  13321  B.  c. ) 

27.2  <TT  will  be  said,  too),  in  that  day: 

J.     Of  the  'fair-  vineyard   ising-  *a  lay*,^^ 

3  I,  Jh\'ii,   hold  it  close  in  ward,  20 
Each   hour  I  give  it  water  *cleart. 

Lest  any  harm  ishould  happeni  there; 
Night  and  day  am  I  its  guard,  | 

4  And   wrath   I   never  bear. 

Oh,  that  before   me  might  appear  25 

Briars  -and-  the  ♦prickly*  thorn! 

War  would   I   wage  against  them  there, 

Together  would   I  burn  them  there ! 

5  Or  let  them  to  my  shelter  flee. 

And   let  them  thei'e  make  peace  with  me<'!  30 


25,9  "this  is  Jhvh  for  whom  we  waited 


(Uo^ee  on  3eaia^ 


BOOK    of   Isaiali,    as   we    now   have    it,    falls    into   two   parts, 
1-39  and  40  -  66 ;    the  former,   when  provisionally  completed 
^  I  perhaps    about    B.C.    400),    was    the    only    Book    of    Isaiah    then 
known.      CC.   1-39.    not  to  speak  at  present  of  40-66,   are  not  5 
entirely    the    work    of    Isaiah.      It    was    a    practice    of    the    later 
editors   to   ensure   the   preservation   of  anonymous   prophecies   by 
inserting   them    in    the   acknowledged   works   of  well-known   pro- 
phetic   writers    ( see,    for    instance,    the    Books    of  Jeremiah    and 
'  Zechariah).     Sometimes  this  may  have  been  done  with  the   idea  10 

that  there  was  a  special  affinity  between  the  earlier  and  the  later  writer.  We 
must  not,  however,  allow  this  bare  possibility  to  prejudice  us  in  our  inquiry 
into  the  authorship  of  a  prophetic  record.  The  fame  of  Isaiah  as  a  ])rophet 
was  so  great  that  it  was  only  natural  that  he  should  be  chosen  as  a  kind  of 
patron  for  unclaimed  prophetic  writings,  and  the  whole  conception  of  prophecy  15 
had  become  so  largely  modified  in  the  post-E.xilic  period  (see  the  New  Tes- 
tament pcissiin,  and  ben-Sirach's  description  of  Isaiah  in  Sir.  48 ,  24 1  that  a 
book  which  was  only  in  part  Isaiah's  would  soon  be  unhesitating!},-  referred 
to  his  authorship  altogether. 

The  Genuine  Prophecies  of  Isaiah  were  occasioned  by  three  great  national  20 
crises  —  the  Syro-Israelitish  invasion  (734),  the  siege  and  fall  of  Samaria  (722), 
and  the  western  campaign  of  Sennacherib  ( 701 ).  On  the  finst  two  occasions 
the  prophet  foresaw  with  a  striking  degree  of  accuracy  what  would  happen, 
and  though  on  the  third  he  took  too  gloomy  a  view  of  the  immediate  fate 
of  Judah  (for  the  state  continued  to  exist  under  the  suzerainty  of  Assyria),  25 
yet  he  ditl  but  anticipate  a  doom  which  was  irrevocably  fixed ;  nor  was  he 
the  man  to  be  taken  in  by  a  purely  e.xternal  reformation  such  as  Hezekiah 
may  (if  there  be  an  historical  element  in  2  Kings  18,41  have  carried  out 
subsequently  to  701.  From  first  to  last  a  severe  tone  predominates  in  his 
prophecies,  but  the  sternest  prophecy  of  all  is  that  in  which,  as  the  last  of  30 
the  Assyrian  warriors  disappear  from  before  Jerusalem,  he  rebukes  the  light- 
hearted  populace  for  its  ill-timed,  self-deluding  gaiety  (22,1-14).  Repent- 
ance alone  could  ward  off  the  last  and  greatest  of  evils ;  and  of  repentance, 
he  says,  there  is  no  longer  any  hope.  Had  Isaiah  forgotten  his  old  Messianic 
hope  (9,2-7;   ii,i-S)?   or   is   he   simply   overpowered   by   the   apparent   moral  35 


130  — s'^^^^SBi-  (llotce  on  '^eaia^  -5es»6ew-s — 

failure  of  his  ministn?  or  shall  we  be  persuaded  by  the  latest  critics  to  give 
up  the  Isaianic  authorshiji  of  the  Messianic  sections  referred  to?  However 
we  decide,  it  is  diflicult  to  believe  that  Isaiah  lived  long  after  this  severe  blow 
to  his  patriotic  heart.  Tlie  story  of  his  having  been  j^ut  to  death  by  Manasseh 
5  is  a  mere  Talmudic  legend,  the  product  of  an  age  which  sought  to  be  wise 
above  that  icliich  is  written,  and  to  account  for  Isaiah's  having  written  prophe- 
cies which,  if  really  his,  could  only  have  been  composed  in  the  compulsory 
retirement  of  a  period  of  persecution. 

Let    us   now  turn    to   these    iion-Zsniaitu   I^ropliccics.      There    are,    properly 

10  speaking,  three  collections,  the  combination  of  which,  with  a  double  Appendi.\ 
(cc.  34.35.  and  36-39),  makes  up  what  we  may  call  the  First  Book  of  Isaiah. 
These  collections  are  {a)  cc.  1-12;  {^b)  cc.  13-27;  and  (V)  cc.  28-33.  l" 
(«),  besides  various  passages  which  an  editor  has  written  in  order  to  supply 
the  place   of  illegible  passages,    and    to    adapt   Isaiah's   work   to   his   own   time, 

15  there  is  one  important  little  prophecy  of  late  date  inserted  from  another 
source  (2,2-4).  Like  the  other  post-Exilic  passages,  this  fine  prophecy  is 
retained  here  in  its  original  place  (see  note  4  on  Prophecy  8)  to  illustrate 
the  procedure  of  the  post-Exilic  editors. —  In  \b)  we  have  two  Exilic  prophe- 
cies on  the  fall  of  Babylon  (cc.   13,  2-22  ;    14,  1-23,  and   21,  i-io)  ;    also   (very 

20  possibly)  a  pre-Exilic  oracle,  which  has  been  edited,  and  made  as  much  like  a 
prophecy  of  Isaiah  as  possible  (15,1-16,12),  and  two  pre-Exilic  but  post- 
Isaianic  pieces  on  Edom  and  Kedar  respectively  (21,11.12;  21,13.141,  which 
have,  like  the  Oracle  on  Jl/oab,  been  provided  with  a  fragment  of  Isaiah's 
work   in  an   epilogue.     And   lastly,   we  have  two  prophetic  compositions  of  the 

25  Persian  period,  one  from  its  earlier,  the  other  from  its  closing  portion,  viz. 
the  Oracle  on  Egypt  119,1-15),  with  its  still  later  Appendix,  and  a  strange 
and  difficult  work  without  a  title  (cc.  24  and  27.1.  121,  to  which  passages 
of  an  even  later  date  have  been  added,  and  to  which  an  equally  late  record 
near  the   end   of  the   second   part   of  our   Isaiah   corresponds.     The  latter  work 

30  (cc.  24-27),  as  it  now  stands,  was  probably  inserted  subsequently  to  the  pro- 
visional completion  of  the  original  Book  of  Isaiah  (which  closed  at  c.  35). —  In 
(f)  there  are  at  least  two  passages  (both  post-Exilic),  which  the  editor  took 
from  other  sources  to  form  a  better  close  for  the  book  (32,15-20  and  33), 
and  it  should  be  added  that  this  portion  contains  several  passages  of  post- 
35  Exilic  origin  (see  especially  29,16-24  and  30,18-26),  which  were  inserted 
to  adapt  the  original  prophecies  to  post-Exilic  times.  Two  of  the  weakest  and 
latest  of  all  the  prophecies  (cc.  34  and  35)  were  added  as  a  supplement  both 
to  (c)  and  to  the  whole  Book.  At  a  still  later  time,  a  second  supplement 
(cc.  36-39)   was   appended,    containing  a  sketch   of    Isaiah's  activity   during  the 

40  last  Assyrian  crisis  as  it  appeared  to  a  post-Exilic  compiler. 

The  second  half  of  the  existing  Book  of  Isaiah  is,  like  the  first,  of  com- 
posite origin.  No  part  of  it  belongs  to  Isaiah.  Why  indeed  should  we  sup- 
pose the  contrary-?  The  first  half  of  the  Book  is  sufficiently  closed  with  a 
double    Appendix,    and,     unlike     c.  13,    c.  40    does    not    embarrass  us   with    an 

45  editorial  headin.g  ascribing  the  following  work  to  Isaiah  ben-Amoz.  It  is  quite 
true  that  cc.  40-66  were  attributed  to  Isaiah  as  early  as  ben-Sirach  (see  Sir.  48, 
24),  ;'.  c.  before  the  end  of  the  second  century  B.  c.  ;  but  this  was  only  because 
the  anonymous  works  which  make  up  cc.  40-66  had  for  some  time  past  found 
a    home    in    the    conveniently    elastic    Book    of    Isaiah.     For    ben-Sirach's  very 

50  natural  mistake  a  modern  parallel  may  be  mentioned.  Gregory-  of  Tours  was 
misled  into  representing  a  canon  of  the  Synod  of  Gangra  as  a  Nicene  canon, 
simply  through  the  copyist's  habit  of  appending  the  decrees  of  Gangra  to 
those  of  Nicsea.  That  the  Second  Isaiah  (as  the  author  of  the  Prophecy  of 
Restoration   has   been   called)    was  well   acquainted   with   the  works   of  Isaiah   is 


^-**^«5f-  Qtotee  on  3oata5  -^Sii^**—  131 

doubtless  true.  But  he  makes  no  attempt  to  reproduce  his  style.  Even  in 
language  he  differs  from  Isaiah  vastly  more  than  he  agrees  with  him,  while 
in  manner  and  tone  the  two  writers  are  as  unlike  as  they  can  be.  The 
argument  froin  the  historical  situation  of  the  writer  of  the  Prophecy  of 
Restoration  is  however,  of  course,  more  easily  apprehended  by  the  ordinary  5 
reader.  The  persons  whom  he  addresses  are  not  the  contemporaries  of  Ahaz 
(735-715)  or  Hezekiah  (715-686),  but  the  Jewish  exiles  in  Babylonia  (597  ff.). 
Like  a  Christian  pastor,  he  enters  into  the  difficulties  and  aspirations  of  his 
people,  removing  the  one  by  eloquent  arguments,  and  stimulating  the  other 
by  assurances  which  claim  a  divine  origin.  Cyrus  (558-529)  is  even  men-  10 
tioned  by  name,  and  is  called  Jhvh's  Anointed,  and  much  is  said  of  a 
personage  of  whom  no  pre-E.\ilic  prophet  has  spoken :  the  Servant  of  Jhvh, 
through  whom  God's  gracious  purposes  for  Israel  and  the  world  shall  be 
realized.  This  cycle  of  poetic  passages  on  the  character  and  work  of  the 
Servant  of  Jhvh  (42,1-4;  49,1-6;  50,4-9;  52.13-53,12)  seems  to  have  15 
formed  originally  a  separate  collection  which  was  subsequently  incorporated 
into  the  Prophecy  of  Restoration,  /.  e.  the  expanded  book  of  the  Second 
Isaiah  (cc.  40-55).  The  new  theological  ideas  in  40-66  are  so  abundant  that 
the  only  difficulty  is  that  of  selection.  Isaiah  might  perhaps  (had  he  been  a 
critic  ! )  have  recognized  in  them  germinal  ideas  of  his  own,  but  there  is  a  gap  20 
between  the  two  theologies  (if  the  word  may  be  used)  which  only  the  troublous 
discipline  of  Israel  can  explain.  Jeremiah,  quite  as  much  as  Isaiah,  prepared 
the  way  for  the  so-called  Second  Isaiah,  and  how  far  this  later  prophet  is  in 
advance  of  Jeremiah,  the  reader  may  easily  convince  himself  by  giving  some 
attention  to  Jeremiah  before  proceeding  to  the  study  of  the  Second  Isaiah.  25 

The  Prophecy  of  Restoration  itself  extends  from  c.  40  to  c.  55.  CC. 
40-48  contain  the  Original  Prophecies  of  the  Second  Isaiah.  Apart  from 
the  lines  referring  to  the  Servant  (see  above,  1.  15),  as  well  as  the  links  con- 
necting them  with  the  prophetic  framework  (42,5-7&c. ),  and  some  other 
editorial  additions  (see  note  77  on  p.  1S2),  they  were  written  soon  after  the  year  30 
( >546' )  in  which  Cyrus  quitted  Sardis  (</.  p.  175,  1.  12).  CC.  49-55  form  most 
probably  an  Appendix  to  the  Prophecies  of  the  Second  Isaiah  in  cc.  40-48, 
designed  to  meet  altered  circumstances,  and  attached  to  the  earlier  prophecy  of 
545-539  B- c.  at  the  time  of  Ezra  (■4321),  when  there  existed  at  Jerusalem 
a  people  in  whose  heart  was  jHi'frs  teaching  (51,7).  The  remainder  of  the  35 
second  half  of  the  traditional  Book  of  Isaiah  consists  of  passages  of  different 
dates,  but  all  post-Exilic.  CC.  60-62  come  nearest  in  style  to  cc.  40-55,  and 
seem  to  have  been  composed  as  a  supplement  to  that  work.  They  betray, 
however,  a  falling  off  in  stylistic  originality  and  in  religious  depth,  and  the 
circumstances  presupposed  are  those  of  the  time  of  Ezra  (432  B.  c).  There  40 
are  also  other  prophetic  compositions  of  much  the  same  period,  which  may 
help  to  give  life  and  color  to  the  dry  skeleton  of  history.  In  some  (cc.  56,9- 
57,13^,  and  65.66),  we  get  an  insight  into  the  religious  and  social  differences 
between  the  Jews  and  the  Samaritans,  and  an  early  reference  to  the  plan  of 
a  Samaritan  temple.  The  latest  prophecy  appears  to  be  63,7-64,12.  which  45 
reflects  the  despondency  of  the  darkest  period  in  Jewish  history  between  Ezra's 
Reform  (432)  and  the  Maccabean  rising  (167)  —  the  period  of  the  barbarities 
of  Artaxerxes  Ochus  (about  347).  There  is  nothing  later  than  this  in  cc.  40-66, 
nothing,  therefore,  to  place  beside  parts  of  cc.  25-27  (date,  perhaps,  332)  and 
the  epilogue  of  c.  19  (date,  perhaps,  275),  It  only  remains  to  be  added  that  50 
the  latest  editor  gave  a  semblance  of  unity  to  the  scattered  prophecies  which 
he  had  before  him,  by  dividing  the  entire  ma.ss  into  three  nearly  equal  books, 
the  two  former  of  which  close  with  nearly  the  same  words  (48,  22  ;  57,  21). 

In   the   present   translation    light   rlue  {e.g.  2,1)    is  used   to  indicate   pas- 


2,1-12  — »-j-^MSc  (JlofcB  on  I  '^eaiati -if-mi^^i^ —  132 

sages  written  (at  any  rate  in  the  main)  as  well  as  inserted  by  the  redactor  or 
editor  (see  p.  130,  II.  13.36)  of  tlie  Book  of  Isaiah  (without  distinction  of  first 
or  second  editors-,  ('/■  p.  141,1.43). —  Light  red  (f.^.  51,1)  is  used  for  pro- 
])lietic  or  poetic  passages  written  neither  by  Isaiah  nor  by  the  Second  Isaiah 
5  (p.  130,  1.  53),  nor  by  the  editors. —  Daric  pi'rple  {e.  ^.  42,1-4)  indicates  the 
poems  in  which  the  'Servant  of  Jhvh  '  (p.  131,!.  12)  is  referred  to,  while 
LIGHT  PURPLE  (€.«:.  6i ,  I  )  is  Used  for  certain  passages  (in  cc.  61.621  written 
in  imitation  of  those  original  poems  (in  dark  purpl?). —  The  original  prophecies 
of  the   .Second   Isaiah    (cc.  40-48)    have    been   printed    in    dark    red.      In   cc. 

10  36-39  (cf.  p.  130,  1.  39),  on  the  other  hand,  dark  red  is  used  to  distinguish 
the  Second  Narratii'c  (pp.  49.50)  from  the  First  Narrative  (p.  47),  the  latter 
being  printed  in  dark  blue  {cf.  p.  164,1.33). —  Dark  blue  is  also  used  for 
the  links  connecting  the  Songs  on  the  Servant  with  the  prophetic  framework 
(42,5-7;  49,7-12;  51, 4''. 5'')    as   well  as   for   the    Oracle   on    Tyre   in   c.  23, 

15  where  some  later  prophetic  writer  (of  course  not  the  author  of  the  First 
Narrative,  \).  47,  or  the  inserter  of  the  Songs  on  the  Servant )  seems  to  have 
made  use  of  some  slight  fragments  of  Isaiah.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  atld 
that  the  author  of  the  Second  Narrative  (pp.  49.50)  is  not  identical  with  the 
Second  Isaiah  (cc.  40-48). 

(Itotce  on  (propBccp  I. 

(i)  The  prophet  both  hears  and  sees  what  he  endeavors  to  communicate;  2,  i 
his   prophecy   is   at   once  a   vision  (28,7;  Mic.  3,6;    <;/.  Is.  I  ,  i )  and  tliat  zi</iic/i 
is    heard  (28,9.19),   i.e.    an    oracle.      See    on    18,9-12.      When   this   heading 
was  written,  a  collection   of  prophecies   on  the  world  outside  Judah   must  have 
25  been  already  known. 

(2)  The    opening   words   of   v.  6   (due,    like   v.  5,    to    the    editor)    contain   a  6 
statement  which   would  more  properly  have  come  at  the  end  of  the  prophecy  ; 
they   take   the   place  of  something   which  has   been  lost.     For  the  prophecy,   or 
poem,    which    follows    is    certainly    imperfect.      Probably    it   is   made   up   out    of 

30  more  than  one  pcjem  relative  to  Jhvh's  judgment  upon  all  human  glory, 
especially  that  won  so  recently  by  Uzziah  (778-736)  for  the  kingdom  of  Judah. 
This  prepares  the  way  for  the  description,  in  3,  1-7,  of  a  national  catastrophe 
such  as  actually  took  place  long  afterwards  under  Jehoiachin  (597).  Then  in 
3,8-15   we    have    a    fervid    denunciation   of   the    ruling    class    in    Judah    as    the 

35  cause  of  the  calamity.     Notice  the  refrains  vv.  to.  19  and  11.  17. 

( 3 )  Balak,  king  of  Moab,  sends  for  the  great  diviner  Balaam  from  Syria 
.  .  .  .from  the  mountains  of  the  east  (Num.  23.  i).  See  also  9,  12,  and  note 
on  Gen.  29  ,  i. 

(4)  See   I  Sam.  6.2;  2  Kings  1,2.  (5)  See  note  on  Is.  30,  1.       7 

40  (6)  It    is    not    strange   that    there    should    be    (including   9,7-10,4)    three  11 

poetical  descriptions  of  judgment  belonging  to  Isaiah's  earliest  period.  The 
second  of  these  differs  in  rhythm  and  refrain  from  the  first.  Probably  vv.  11-17 
take  the  place  of  a  passage  of  the  first  description  which  had  become  illegible 
{cf.  note  2)  ;   we  can   thus  understand   why   it  is  so  fragmentary.      From   v.  11 

45  we  may  infer  that  a  lost  introductory  portion  of  the  same  stanza  contained  a 
descrijition  of  the  haughtiness  of  humankind.  Both  poems  (there  is  no  reason 
to  doubt)  come  from  the  hand  of  Isaiah. 

(7)  The   passage   illustrates   the   words   of  Ami  is:    Woe  unto  you  luho  desire  12 
tlie   day  of  fHVH !     Wherefore  would  ye  have  the  day  of  JHVH?     It  is  darkness, 

50  and  not  li.^ht  (Am.  5,  iS).     Both  Amos  and  Isaiah  adopt  a  popular  phrase,  and 


133  -^-i-e^tS^-  (Tlotee  on  I  3eaia6  ".-^^m*^ —  2  ,  16-3  ,  16 

transform  its  meaning.  To  the  mass  of  the  people  the  Day  of  jHl'H  meant  His  Z 
day  of  battle  —  an  idiom  familiar  in  Arabic  (,day  may  be  combined  with  the  name 
either  of  a  person  or  of  a  place,  or  even  stand  alone  for  battle).  Jhvh  being  a 
god  of  war,  and  attached  irre\ocably  to  Israel,  His  worshipers  looked  forward 
5  with  hope  to  some  great  day  of  battle  when  their  God  would  invisibly  fight  on 
their  side  against  their  enemies.  One  such  a  day  of  battle  was  that  in  which  I  for 
these  days  were  not  limited  to  twenty-four  hours)  Joash,  king  of  Israel  (798- 
7S3),  was  delivered  from  Syria  t2  K.  13,  17),  and  if  Jhvh  was,  as  a  poet 
said,    the    shield    of  Israel's  help,  and  the  sword   of  its  pride   (Deut.  33,  29), 

10  might  not  Israel  expect  that  many  other  such  days  would  proceed  out  of  the 
store  of  pre-e.\istent  days?  Amos  and  Isaiah,  however,  both  deny  this.  There 
is  virtually  a  moral  contrast  between  Israel  and  its  God.  Jhvh's  two  great 
requirements  are  justice  in  the  relations  of  civil  life,  and  humility  towards  Him- 
self    In  Am.  5,  24;  6,  12;  Is.  1 ,  17.  21 .  23  ;  3,  14.  15  ;  5,7,  &c.,  it  is  justice  which 

15  Jhvh  looks  for  in  vain  in  Israel;  in  Am.  6,13;  Is.  2,11-17;  5,12.15,  it  is 
humility.  In  this  early  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  the  prophet  does  not  name  the 
agent  of  the  divine  punishment;  Jhvh  Himself  interposes,  with  all  the  outward 
manifestations  of  a  thunderstorm  \  cf.  29,6;  30,27-31).  Soon,  however,  the 
omission  will  be  repaired,  and  in  28 ,  2  the  prophet  uses  the  same  idiom  as  here 

20  to  point  out  the  terrible  foe  who  already  has  his  eye  upon  his  destined  prey 
{fHVH  has  in  readiness,  &c.  ).  From  this  idea  of  Jhvh's  Day  of  Battle  the 
conception  of  the  Day  of  Judgment  was  gradually  developed. 

(8)    Cf.  Coran  55,24:    His   are  the   ships   which   tower  aloft  in  the  sea  like  16 
mountains. 

25  (9)  The   mention   of  ships  of  Tarshish   in   the  first   line  suggests  that  in   the 

second  line  some  kind  of  ships  must  be  again  referred  to.  Perhaps  indeed 
the  ships  of  Tarshish  may  be  still  intended ;  the  word  stately  expresses  admira- 
tion of  the  appearance  of  these  noble  products  of  civilization.  The  Hebrew 
word  rendered  vessels  is,  however,  obscure,  and  perhaps  corrupt. 

30  (10)  There   are   several   indications   that   this   passage  (3,1-7)  is   no   longer  3, 

in  its  original  form.  Note  the  want  of  arrangement  in  the  list  with  which  it 
opens,  and  the  unrhythmical,  prosaic  style  of  the  whole.  The  picture  in  vv.  6.7 
corresponds  to  that  in  4,1,  which  is  also  vigorous  indeed  but  prosaic. 

(11)    Isaiah    passes    from    the    people    as    a    whole    to    the   most   important  9 

35  section  of  it  including  the  judges.  These  were  (in  the  capital)  probable  mem- 
bers of  the  royal  family  (Jer.  21  ,  11 .  12) ;  hence  in  the  next  verse  (12)  there  is 
another  transition,  to  the  king.  The  fault  of  which  the  judges  are  accused  is 
observance  of  persons  {cf.  Mic.  7,3);  they  openly  take  bribes  to  oppress  the 
innocent. 

40  (12)  The   connection   is   broken   by   two   commonplace   didactic    verses    (10.   12 

II  I.  which  (like  2 ,  22 )  are  evidently  a  gloss.  It  is  not  the  fate  of  the  righteous 
or  the  wicked  as  a  class  that  interests  the  prophet,  but  that  of  his  much-lo\ed 
people,  which  he  emphatically  distinguishes  from  its  governors.  In  v.  12^  he 
alludes  to  the  weak  and  effeminate  character  of  Ahaz    (736-7281.     The   women 

45  of  the  court  are  the  true  rulers  of  the  state  (v.  16,  and  ef.  Am.  4,1).  The 
glowing  augun,-  of  v.  4  has  been  fulfilled,  though  the  captivity  spoken  of  in  the 
conte.xt  of  that  passage  is  still  in  the  future. 

I  13 1  This  introducton.'  formula  warns   us  that  what   follows  was   uttered   on  16 

another  occasion,  and   does  not  strictly  belong  to  the  preceding  prophecy.     It  is 

50  directed   against    the   proud    and    coquettish    ladies   of  Jerusalem    {ef  32,9-12; 

Am.  4,  1-3).     Isaiah  knows  the  influence  which   they  exert  both  on  the   morals 

and   on   the   policy   of  their   husbands,  and   threatens   them  with  captivity   (a   lot 


4,1-4  — ^-Ms^issaS- Qtolce  on  1  30'ii'>8  ^K*»i«'*-=- —  134 

which  actually  befell  the  ladies  of  Hezekiah's  court,  according  to  Sennacherib's  3 
account  of  the  tribute  of  tlie  king  of  Judah,  701  u.  c.j.  The  inserted  passage 
(vv.  18-25),  due  to  the  editor,  conceals  the  close  connection  between  v.  17  and 
V.  24.  and  dis|5lays  an  attention  to  trifles  which  would  be  surprising  in  Isaiah. 
5  Are  they  a  pre-E.\ilic  fragment?  The  heathenish  element  in  the  toilet-articles 
suggests  this;  notice  the  little  suns  and  moons,  and  the  amulets  (strictly 
charmed  things;  cf.  v.  4).  But  this  reason  is  a  weak  one.  Heathenish  elements 
in  Jewish  culture  survived  even  in  Talmudic  times,  and  catalogues  like  this 
belong  rather  to  a  literary  age.  The  passage  is  unrhythmical,  nor  is  there  any 
10  obvious  order  in  the  list  of  objects  {cf.  vv.  2-4).  The  antiquarian  interest  of 
the  passage,  however,  is  considerable,  and  de  Quincev  (1785- 1859)  has 
adorned  the  results  of  last  century  scholarsliip  with  his  own  jeweled  rhetoric 
(  Works,  vol.  xi). 

(14)  Cf.  Tobit  3,8:  Thou  Iiast  already  had  seven  husbands,  neither  wast  thou  4,1 
15  named  after  any  of  them.     Possibly  a  ceremony  of  re-naming  a  wife  accompanied 

marriage  ;  it  would  indicate  that  the  wife  was  adopted  into  her  husband's  kin. 
The  picture  here  resembles  that  in  3 ,  6.  There  the  male  population  is  in  search 
of  a  ruler ;  here  the  women  are  in  search  of  husbands. 

(15)  Whether  any   fra,gments   of  Isaianic   work   exist  here,  is  uncertain.     At  2 
20  any  rate,  this  unrhythmical  passage,  late  in  style  and  sometimes  in  ideas,  cannot, 

as  it  stands,  be  Isaiah's. 

(16)  One  of  the  commonplaces  of  the  later  period  {cf.  Joel  2,19-27,  and 
probably  Is.  30,23;  Am.  9,13).  The  idea  is  no  doubt  an  early  one  (see  Hos. 
2,21  f. ),  but   one   of   the   great   prophets   would   have    led    the    way    up    to    it, 

25  and  made  much  more  of  it.  He  would  have  given  us  first  an  announcement 
that  a  remnant  would  escape  in  the  judgment,  and  next  an  assurance  that 
they  would  icall;  more  humbly  ivith  their  God  than  their  fathers,  and  take 
pride,  not  in  their  silver  and  gold,  their  fortresses  and  ships,  but  in  Jhvh. 
But  a  writer   of   less   grasp   than   Isaiah,  guided   by   conventions   rather   than   by 

30  his  own  reason,  felt  it  necessary  to  put  forward  the  most  easily  remembered 
of  the  traditional  features  of  the  Messianic  age,  viz.  that  the  soil  would  become 
exceptionally  fertile.  As  to  the  phraseology,  the  expressions  in  the  ])arallel 
members  of  the  line  are  synonymous.  AV  renders  in  the  former  one  tlie 
branch   of  the   Lord   {i.  e.  the  Messiah)  in   accordance   with  Jer.  23,5;   33,15; 

35  Zech.  3,8;  6,  12.  But  if  this  section  be  Isaiah's,  the  Messiah  cannot  be  referred 
to  in  this  condensed,  enigmatic  expression  ( which,  if  correctly  rendered  in  A\', 
presupposes  Jeremiah),  while  if  it  be  post-Exilic,  still  two  objections  to  the 
Branch  of  Jhi'H  remain:  {a)  that  the  parallel  expression  the  fruit  of  the  land, 
which   is   ]iresumably   synonymous,  is   clearly   to   be   taken   collectively ;   and  ( b ) 

40  that  tlie  Hebrew  word  rendered  the  Branch  in  AV  is  generally  collective. 
The  {self-)springing  plants  of  Jhvh  may  be  wild  as  opposed  to  cultivated 
plants  {cf.  Num.  24,6;  Ps.  104,  16),  or  at  any  rate  those  which  depend  on  the 
rain  which  Jhvh  sends  from  His  good  treasury,  tlie  sky  (Dent.  28,12),  and 
not  (in  irri.gation.     The  form  of  the  verse  reminds  us  of  28.5.  which  is  probably 

45  of  late  origin. 

(17)  Neither   the   natiim   nor   the   individual    is  elsewhere  called  holy   in  the  3 
works  generally  assigned  to  Isaiah,  except  in  6,  12  (on  which  see  note). 

(18)  Both  the  form  and  the  expression  of  the  verse  remind  us  of  Dan. 
12.  I :   At  that  time  thy  people  niill  be  delivered,  every  one  who  is  found  written 

50  in  the  book.  For  the  figure  (which  is  derived  from  the  registers  of  citizens),  cf. 
also  Ex.  32 ,  32  ;  Ps.  69  ,  28. 

(19)  Alludin.g  to  3,  16.   &c. ;  i  ,  15.  4 

(20)  For  the  breath  or  spirit  of  JllvH.  see  30,  28.     In  11,2  the  term  ajipears 


J35  ^»*e#siS!- (Potce  on  1  Jeata^ -*issfa*«—  ■4.5-5.  '9 

to   be   used   in   a   technical   sense,  and   tlie  good  qualities   of  tlie  ideal  sovereign  4 
are   represented   as   emanations    from   Jhvh's    spirit.      So,  too,  in    28 ,  6   martial 
courage  and  ability  to  administer  justice  are  said  to   be   spirits  from  Jhvh   (;'.  e. 
from  His  all-embracing  spirit). 
5  (21)  The  idea  of  this  verse  is  that  Jhvh  Himself,  represented   by   the   pillar  5 

of  cloud  and  tiame,  will  come  in  lliat  day  to  abide  permanenth'  with  His 
people.  It  is  doubtful  whether  Isaiah  anywhere  refers  to  the  E.xodus ;  on  the 
other  liand,  the  idea  of  the  imagery  would  be  highly  congenial  to  a  post-E.xilic 
writer,  and  the  phraseology  (as  might  easily  be  shown)  is  not  without  post- 
10  E.xilic  affinities. 

Qlofee  on  (Iprop^ccj  2. 

(p.  5) 

III  The   parable    takes   the    form    of  a    song.     As   in   23,16;  27,2-5   (see  5,1 
Notes),    the    prophet    assumes   for  the  time  the  character  of  a   popular  singer. 

15  From  its  dancing  rhythm  it  might  well  be  a  dancing  song  that  he  gives  us,  but 
the  bitter  irony  of  the  close  dispels  the  illusion.  It  was  only  to  attract  attention 
that  Isaiah  so  disguised  his  solemn  earnestness,  and  he  never  did  so  again.  If 
he  accompanied  his  song  with  music,  he  must  have  changed  his  note  at  v.  3, 
and   what  an   effect  must  have  been  produced  when  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence 

20  ( \'.  6 )  he  suddenly  passed  out  of  the  lyric  into  the  grave  proplietic  rhythm,  and 
became  no  longer  a  singer  but  an  orator ! 

(llo(ce  on  (f>rojj0ccj  3. 

(pp.  6.7) 

(1)  This    powerful    address    appears    to    have    suffered    considerably.      The  8 
25  sections   or  stanzas  were  doubtless  once  much  more  nearly,  or  even  altogether, 

symmetrical.  At  any  rate  one  can  hardly  believe  that  any  Woe  consisted  of  but 
one  line  (v.  21).  Notice  the  exact  correspondence  (reminding  us  of  Dante) 
between  the  respective  sins  and  punishments,  and  compare  the  parallel  (and 
coiitemporary)  prophecy,  Mic.  2.3.  The  prediction  of  captivity  is  not  repeated 
30  in  later  discourses  (except  for  Shebna). 

(2)  Note  that  Isaiah,  the  high-born  city-prophet,  agrees  with  the  peasant- 
prophet  Micah  (see  Mic.  2,1-5)  'n  denouncing  those  rich  men  who  increased 
their  landed  estates  by  expelling  the  poor  from  their  holdings.     Cj.  Job  20,  19; 

22,8. 

35  (3)   The  liquid  measure  called  balli  =  \\\<;   drv   measure  called  tpliah  ;    it  was  10 

nearly  equal  to  9  gallons.     The  homer  =  10  ephahs. 

(4)   The    artificial    wine    referred     to    (Hebrew    slickdr,    Assyrian     s/iii-iini)   11 
existed   side   by   side   with   the   wine   of  the   grape   both    in  Assyria    (and    Baby- 
lonia) and  in  Palestine.     See  v.  22,  and  cf.   Hom.   Odj'ss.  4,220. 

40  (5)    Supplement    this    by    Amos    6,4-6.     Through    the    commerce   of   Car-  12 

chemish   both    Israel   and  Judah   were   influenced   by   the   material   civilization  of 
the  more  advanced  Asiatic  nations. 

(6)    According  to  Amos  there  were  in  his  time  two  opposite  views  respect-  19 
ing   the   Dav  of  JilVH.     According  to  one,  it   would   be   undoubtedly   a   time   of 

45  I'^i^t  and  joy  for  Israel ;  according  to  another,  it  might  possibly  be,  as  Amos 
said  that  it  would  be,  an  evil  day.  One  class  of  persons  therefore  longed  for  it 
to  come  (Am.  5,  18);  another  put  (it)  far  aivay,  i.  e..  supposed  it  to  be  still 
distant  (Am.  6,3).  To  the  former,  Isaiah  addressed  the  great  prophetic  poem 
in  c.  2 ;   on   the   latter,  he   now  hurls   a   special   denunciation.     The   ruling  class, 


5,20-9. '1  — ->*sS«t-:!:- (tlofcu   on  1  3'5iiiaB -sS^rtsH-s —  136 

to  uhoin  this  uliole  section  relates,  could  not  In-  Minil  to  the  clangers  of  the  5 
slate  ( ( /.  .\ni.  6 ,  TiIj  I.  But  they  could  not  and  would  not  believe  that  Assyria 
would  pounce  upon  them  as  (|uicl<ly  as  Isaiah  asserted.  Judah  might  some  day 
fall,  and  this  would  no  doulit  be  .1  judiiinenl  of  lii\n,  but  not  in  their  day. 
5  When  they  saw  the  Assyrians  at  the  door,  they  woukl  believe  Isaiah,  but  not 
before. 

(7  1  Not  so  much  an   irreligious  sectioti  of  the   zcisi'   men   is   here   meant  as  20 
a   class   of   politicians   who    defended    the    social    changes   of   the   time   as   both 
necessary  and  right.      The  development  of  commerce  and  luxury,  the  centraliza- 

10  tion  of  capital,  and  the  impoverishment  of  small  proprietors,  were  odious  to 
Isaiah,  but  in  a  keen-witted  nation  cannot  have  wanted  for  defenders. 

(.S)  \'.  24  seems  to  be  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  prophecy  and  not  merely  24 
of  the  preceding   U'oe.     The  combination  of  figures  in  the  first  and  second  line 
must  not  be  judged  too  harshly  in  an  Eastern  poem. 

15  (9)  Observe  that  the  tenses  in  v.  25  differ  from  those  in  v,  24;  also  that  the  25 

phraseology  of  v.  25  is  conventional,  and  drawn  from  the  common  stock  of 
prophetic  imagery  (see  c.  g.  Ezek.  16,14;  14  .  9  .  '3  ;  Is.  29  ,  6  ;  64  ,  19  ;  Jer.  9  ,  2t  ; 
Zeph.  1,17).  This  verse  was  probably  inserted  by  the  editor  at  a  time  when 
vv.  I  -  24  were  immediately  followed  by  the  great  prophetic  poem  which  begins 

20  at  9,8,  and  should  close  with  vv.  26-29.  Its  object  seems  to  have  been  to 
connect  5 ,  i  -  24  with  the  magnificent  poem  referred  to.  The  editor  took  the 
idea  of  the  verse  from  the  refrain  of  the  poem  which  declares  that  God's  heavy 
hand  is  still  outstretched  for  punishment.  By  the  prefi.xed  word  Thtrcfoyc  he 
linked   the   new   verse   with   the   preceding   denunciations,  and    by   attaching   the 

25  refrain  to  his  \ague  but  awful  threat,  he  connected  the  verse  with  the  only  too 
clear  description  of  Israel's  sins  and  their  punishment,  which  belongs  to  the 
prophet  Isaiah. 

(llofco  on  (prop^ccp  4. 

(pp.  7-9) 

30  (i)  Against  whom   is   this   prophecy  directed?     The   first   three   lines   of  the  9,8 

first  stanza  and  the  whole  of  the  fifth  stanza  ( vv.  26-29)  relate  to  the  people  of 
Israel  (South  as  well  as  North);  lines  4-14  of  the  first  stanza,  and  the  vvh()le 
of  the  second  and  third  stanzas  relate  to  the  Northern  Kingdom  alone;  and 
the  whole  of  the  fourth  stanza  (10,1-4)  relates  to  judah  alone.     In  its  original 

35  form,  however,  the  prophecy  seems  to  have  been  a  warning  to  Northern  Israel 
analogous  to  that  addressed  to  Judah  in  vv.  .S-24  (cf.  the  parallel  retrospect 
and  warning  in  Am.  4,6-12).  In  a  word,  the  prophecy  is  now  in  its  second 
edition,  revised  and  enlarged.  Still  there  need  be  no  doubt  of  Isaiah's  author- 
ship of  it  in  all  its  parts.     The  stanzas  are  perfect ;   each  has  the  same  number 

40  of  lines,  and  the  same  refrain, 

(2)  This   places   us   in   the   years   following   the  death   of  Jeroboam   II.    (743  10 
n.  c. );  cf.  Hos.  7,8.9;  8,8. 

(3)  Syria  is  the/bt';  the   Philistines  are  the  enemies  of  Israel.     The  former  12 
had    been   humbled   for  a  time    by  Jeroboam    11.    ( 2  Kings  14 ,  28),    but   directly 

45  after  his  death  (we  cannot  doubt)  had  re-asserted  its  independence.  On  the 
accession  of  Pekah  (736),  Rezin  appears  to  have  forced  that  king  (who  was 
more  reluctant  naturally  than  Ahab  in  853)  to  join  an  alliance  against  Assyria, 
as  he  afterwards  endeavored  to  force  Judah.  Of  the  hostility  of  the  Philistines 
we  have  no  other  record. 

50  (4)    /.  e.    in   one   battle    (as    10,17;   (,/  9,3,    and    note    on   2,12).      For   the  14 

figiu'es,   (/.  19,  15;   Dent.  28,  13.44. 


137 


— ->4«f^5!!s-  Qtofce  on  I  38ata6  -!)?*tSC5«-=^ — 


9 , iS-io, 4 


(5)  The   injustice   which   prevails   in   all   classes   of   North    Israelitish   society  9,18 
(see  Amos  and  Hosea)  is  compared  to  a  forest-fire  lio,  17;  Ps.  83,  15). 

(6)  A  figurative  description  of  a  state  of  anarchy.     See  2  Kings  15.  20a 

(7)  The  Northern  Israelites  forgot  their  local  jealousies  whenever  there  was  21 
5  a  chance  of  a  successful  raid   into  Judah.     Such  a  chance  presented  itself  on  a 

grand  scale  when  Rezin  ordered  his  vassal   Pekah  (735)  to  join  him   in  invading 

the  Southern  Kingdom  as  described  in  7,1. 

(S)  Verses   1-3   are   so   similar   both   in   form   and   in  the  spirit  of  tlie  con-  10 ,  i 

tents  to  the   denunciations   in   5,8-24,    and    the    impassioned    question    in   v.  3 
10  reminds    us    so    forcibly    of    that    in    3,15,    that    Isaiah    must    be    supposed    to 

address  persons  whom  he  sees  before  him  in  Judah.     See  note  4  on  c.  9,  14. 

(9)    Cf.  46,1;  Jer.  50,2.      This   rendering   presupposes   a   rearrangement   of  4 

the    consonants    of   the    text,    which   seems   necessary   to   produce   a   satisfactory 

sense.     Beltis  or  Baaltis  (/.  e.  Lady)  was  a  Phtenician  deity,  worshiped  especially 
15  at  Gebal   or  Byblus,  where   her   cultus  became  fused   with  that  of  the   Egyptian 

Isis,  just  as  that  of  her   consort  Adonis  became  fused  with  that  of  Osiris.     The 


divine  name  Osiris  enters  into  many  Phcenician  names,  and  was  even  perhaps 
used  now  and  then  as  a  Hebrew  name  (Ex.  6,24  Assir).  It  is  conceivable  that 
those  Northern  Israelites  who  hankered  after  foreign  alliances  may  have  sought 
20  to  propitiate  Egyptian  and  Phcenician  deities.  At  any  rate,  the  editor  seems  to 
have  thought  so,  and  he  makes  Isaiah  taunt  these  Israelites  with  the  futility 
of  the  refuge  and  the  aid  which  they  had  hoped  for.     Cf.  Am.  5 ,  26,  where  the 


5,  26-6,  I 


-»-Hs#«€9s-  Qlofco  on  I  Joaia^  -sJB*^-*-' 


138 


editor  has  similarly  introduced  a  reference  to  the  worship  of  deities,  whom  there  10 
is  no  evidence  that  the  Northern  Israelites  worshiped  in  the  eighth  centurj- 
B.C.  The  answer  to  the  question  in  v.  3  is  a  most  ingenious  but  not  an  entirely 
hai^iiy  one.  Lines  i  and  2  of  the  stanza  do  not  cohere  well  together.  The 
5  subject  of  the  verb  in  1.  2  is  most  probably  the  Lsraelitish  nobles.  In  short,  the 
original  first  line  has  been  irrecoverably  lost. 

(10)  The  word  rendered  sigiia/  is  often  supposed  to  indicate  a  banner.  5,26 
But  it  will  cover  any  sort  of  military  signal  which  is  raised  aloft.  Almost 
all  scholars  agree  that  the  Assyrians  are  the  nation  referred  to.  The  iirophet 
10  paints  the  Assyrians  in  glaring  colors,  and  exaggerates  (as  we  may  think) 
their  remoteness  from  Judah,  to  heighten  the  effect.  The  figure  of  the  roaring 
lion  (v.  29)  is  characteristically  Assyrian.  In  the  luraflt  of  my  lieart,  says 
Sargon,   /  roared  like  a  lion,  and  turned  to  eonqiier  those  lands. 


ASSYRI.^N    ST.\ND.\RD. 

(ii)  The  Assyrians  are  compared  to  bees,  as  in  7,  18. 
15  (12)  A  late  insertion   suggested   by  8,22.      Probably  some   lines,  containing  30 

the  usual  consolatory  close,  have  dropped  1  lut  of  the  text. 


(llotce  on  (propBccj  5. 
( PI).  9  -  1 5 1 

(i)  A  prophetic  revelation  consists  in  general  of  thoughts  respecting  the  6,1 
20  world  of  men.  Here,  however,  it  is  an  unseen  spiritual  world  which  opens  itself 
to  Isaiah's  inner  eye,  though  the  world  of  men  very  soon  claims  his  attention. 
The  prophet  relates  what  he  has  seen  as  faithfully  as  he  reproduces  the 
thoughts  which  Jhvh  suggests  to  him.  In  neither  case  can  we  be  sure  of 
perfect  accuracy,  but  in  neither  case  is  there  any  trace  of  conscious  fiction. 
25  The  scene   of  the  vision  is  the  Temple,   i.  e.   the  Temple  at  Jerusalem    (as  in 


139 


(JlotcB  on  I  'ieaiafi  -JijjJie**-!^ — 


6,2 


other  prophetic  ecstasies.  Am,  9,1;  Ezek.  8,3;  10,4;  c/.  Acts  22,17).  But  6 
the  temple  which  he  sees,  though  a  material  building,  has  become  gloriously 
expanded  in  his  imagination ;  the  temple  of  Solomon  had  to  be  idealized  to 
take  in  the  exalted  throne  and  the  host  of  heaven.  The  vision  was  accom- 
5  panied  by  what  Isaiah  felt  to  be  a  divine  call.  To  see  his  God  thus  was  in 
fact  equivalent  to  a  call  to  prophecy ;  for  how  could  he  go  about  among 
those  who  were  blind  to  true  divinity  without  seeking  to  open  their  eyes? 
Yet  Isaiah  kept  silence  respecting  this  sacred  fact  of  his  inner  history  until 
probably  he,    or  a  disciple   of  his,    collected    and  condensed   his   prophecies   on 

10  the  Syro-Ephraimitish  war.  He  then  wrote  it  down,  not  however  as  simply 
as  he  would  have  done  in  the  year  that  king  Uzziah  died  (740),  but  with 
the  addition  of  a  passage  (vv.  9.10)  which  contains  his  prophetic  inferences 
from  the  moral  state  of  Judah  and  Israel  at  the  time  of  the  sore  danger  to 
both   from    the  near    approach   of   the   Assyrians.     C.  6   forms   the    prologue    of 

15  another  minor  group  of  prophecies,  closing  at  9,7.      Cf.  p.  140,  1.  39. 

(2)   The   Seraphim  are  mythical  beings,  adopted  instinctively  by  Isaiah  from  2 
the   folk-lore  of  Judah,   and  quite  distinct   from   angels,   which   are   described   as 
altogether  human,    and   without   wings.     To  judge   from    their   name,    they   were 
popularly   imagined   as   serpents ;   and   who    can    help    recalling  the   wide-spread 

20  ancient  belief  in  serpents  as  protectors  of  the  temples?  Compare,  for  instance, 
the  black  granite  serpent,  from  a  temple  in  the  city  of  Athribis,  now  in  the 
Gizeh  Museum  ( Xotice  des  Monuments,  1893,  p.  71).  [This  monument  (which 
was    dedicated     bv   the     famous 


Amenhotep  III,  the  Nimmuria  of 

25  the  Amarna  tablets,  about  1400 
B.  c. )  represents  a  serpent  stand- 
ing erect  in  an  oval  shrine.  The 
Egyptians  entertained  the  same 
superstitious  awe  of  serpents  as 

30  the  ancient  Semites,  and  they  ra- 
garded  some  serpents  as  Agatho- 
demons  or  benevolent  divinities. 
As  a  rule,  the  serpent  symbolized 
female  deities.    The  great  god- 

35  dess  of  destiny,  Shay,  or  Fate, 
had  the  form  of  a  serpent.  Sev- 
eral great  gods  of  Egypt  were 
represented  in  the  form  of  ser- 
pents.      Local    guardian    deities 

40  were  symbolized  in  the  same  way. 
All  the  larger  temples  kept,  en- 
closed in  a  shrine,  a  living  snake, 
which  was  regarded  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  tutelary  demon. 

45  The  second  of  the  two  hiero- 
glyphic  papyri   from   Tanis   (ed. 


BLACK  GRANITE 
SERPENT. 


W.  M.  Flinders  Petrie,  Lon- 
don, 1SS9;  Roman  period)  gives 
a  list  of  all  the  sacred  titles  of 
erect  serpents  in  all  the  larger 
temples  of  Egypt,  thus  showing 
the  importance  attached  to  their 
worship  (hence,  the  large  number 
of  mummified  serpents  ).  Winged 
serpents  are  frequently  mentioned 
in  the  Egyptian  religious  texts, 
and  are  represented  in  Egyptian 
paintings  and  sculptures  of  the 
period  after  1600  b.  c.  The  idea, 
however,  was  not  Egyptian,  but 
borrowed  from  Asia  [cf.  Well- 
HAUSEN,  Skizzen,  part  iii,  p.  138). 
Monumental  evidence  is  as  yet 
too  scanty  to  allow  an  accurate 
definition  of  the  precise  theolog- 
ical meaning  of  serpents  in  the 
religion  of  Egypt,  but  they  seem 
to  have  been  guardians  and  pro- 
tectors of  temples  like  the  Hebrew 
Seraphim.] 


These  powerful  genii  appear  before  us  here  as  guarding  the  threshold  of 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem  (see  v.  4).  They  stand;  for  to  Isaiah's  imagination  the 
seraphic  guards  have  put  off  their  form  of  a  serpent,  to  qualify  them  to  assume 
50  the  new  and  high  function  of  choristers  of  Jhvh.  They  are  therefore  no  longer 
merely  supernaturally  gifted  servants  of  the  sanctuary,  but  Ministers  of  Jhvh, 
into  whose  moral  purposes  they  can,  to  some  extent,  enter.  And  they  are  said 
to  stand  erect  before  jHl'H,  because  this  would  naturally  strike  the  gazer's  eye; 
they  seemed  in   fact  to   tower  above  the   throne.     In   fact,    Isaiah's   seraphs,    like 


6,4-7.6  — »*e*e«Si- (Jlofco  on  I  ^emad  -^^s^^ei^^ —  140 

tliosc  uf  Milton,  are  of  siiperliuman  proportions.  It  may  be  inconsistent  in  6 
Isaiah  to  call  these  guardian  choristers  by  a  name  suggestive  of  serpents,  but 
the  name  was  too  deeply  rooted  botli  in  his  own  and  in  the  popular  imagina- 
tion to  lie  rejected.  We  may  to  some  extent  compare  these  Seraphim  with 
5  the  harmful  serpen/  (a  synonymous  word  is  usedj  of  Gen.  3,  which  is  also  repre- 
sented  as  capable  of  speech. 

(3)  The  siiioi-e   is   not  a   token   of  the   acceptance   of   the   seraph's   praises,  4 
but  an    indication   of   the    divine    dis|)leasure.     See    the    parallel    passage,    Rev. 
15,8,  and  (/'.  I'ss.  18,8;  74 ,  i  j  80,5.     Displeasure  against  whom?     Against  the 

10  unpurified  man  who  has  penetrated  into  the  sanctuary. 

(4)  Compare  chapter  3,  verse  8;  Matthew,  chajiter  12,   verse  34.  5 

(5)  There   is   no    need   for   Jhvh    Himself   to   interpose.     It   is   the   duty   of  6 
the  guardians   of  the   sanctuary  to   exclude  the  profane,  or  to  purify   one  whom 
the  great   King  purposes  to  admit   into   His  service.     On  the  altar  were   heated 

15  stones  such  as  were  used  (we  may  infer)  for  burnt-offerings,  and  also  some- 
times in  common  life  for  baking  cakes  of  meal  (see  on  i  Kings  19,6).  Isaiah 
imagines  one  of  the  seraphs  to  take  such  a  hot  stone  from  off  the  altar,  and 
touch  Isaiah's  lips  with  it.  Jhvh  has  been  wailing  for  tliis ;  now  He  can  put 
Isaiah  to  the  test. 

20  (6)    So   then  JiiVH   is   not    alone    in    His   divine   activity.     There   is   a//  tlie  8 

host  of  heaven  standing  by  Him  on  His  right  hand  and  on  His  left  (i  Kings 
22,19),  in  f'lct  all  the  Sons  of  Elohim  (Gen.  6,2;  Job  1,6),  among  whom 
Isaiah  may  possibly  have  included  the  Seraphim  who  appear  in  vv.  3.6.7  to 
have  a  moral  sympathy  with  Jhvh.      Cf.   Ps.  82,  i. 

25  (7)    Isaiah    here  goes  beyond   Am.  5,3.     The   destruction  of  Jutlah   shall   be  13 

complete.  The  te)ith  which  survives  previous  judgments  is  compared  to  the 
stump  of  a  tree  which  has  been  cut  down.  The  husbandman  cannot  leave 
this  stock  in  the  ground;  he  burns  it.  This  is  Isaiah's  dread  warning  to  the 
mass  of  the  people;    for  his  own  disciples  he  has  a   word  of  comfort   ready  (8, 

30  16-18).  The  following  line  was  added  for  the  consolation  of  post-Exilic 
readers.  It  is  wanting  in  the  Septuagint,  and  directly  contradicts  the  most 
natural  interpretation  of  Isaiah's  words.  The  writer  of  the  gloss  denies  that 
the  stock  or  stump  of  the  tree  of  Judah  can  be  destroyed;  he  puts  forward  the 
idea,    so   characteristic   of  later  writers,  that   Israel,   and   especially  Jerusalem,    is 

35  safe  from  complete  destruction.  But  Isaiah  at  this  time  certainly  held  that 
Judah,  as  a  people,  was  doomed.  Of  course,  it  did  not  follow  that  there  would 
be  no  reward  for  the  righteous.  lUit  this  side  of  Isaiah's  belief  does  not  appear 
to  have  had  any  full  development. 

(8)  A    fresh    collection    of    prophecies    begins    here,     ending    at    9,7,   and  7,1 
40  presenting  numerous  traces  of  post-Exilic  editing.      Cf.  p.  139.  1.  14. 

(9)  The  original  opening  verse  seems  to  have  become  illegible.  An  Exilic 
or  post-Exilic  editor  therefore  substituted  a  passage,  slightly  altered  by  him, 
from  2  Kings  16,5  (which  see).     The  concluding  statement  is  anticipative. 

(10)  Like  a  swarm  of  insects  (cf.  v.  19).  2 
45           (11)    Further  explorations  at  Jerusalem  will  enable   us  to   decide  where  tliis  3 

spot  was.  At  any  rate,  Ahaz  was  providing  for  the  water-supply  in  prospect 
of  a  siege  (f/^22,9).  Shear-jashub  =  rt  remnant  shatt  retnr)i  \ef.  10,21),  an 
evidence  of  the  stress  Isaiah  laid  on  the  doctrine  of  the  remnant  (p.  151  below). 
(12)  The  object  of  Rezin  is  to  set  a  vassal  on  the  throne  of  Judah  who  W'ill  6 
50  support  him  in  his  anti-Assyrian  policy.  From  the  form  of  the  name  we  may 
conjecture  the  nominee  of  Syria  to  have  been  himself  a  Syrian.  He  was  at 
any  rate,  according  to  Isaiah,  a  man  of  low  origin,  like  the  son  of  no  one 
whom  Tiglath  Pileser  made  king  of  the  land  of  J.ib.il  [Records  of  the  Past, 
New  Series,   Vol.  v,   11.   126 1.      Cf.  beii-Remali.ih,  v.  4. 


141 


— »4«#g3!s- (JlofcB  on  I  3aata^ -5!SMfs»<- —  7>9-i^ 


(13)  Isaiah's  argument    is    incompletely  given.     He    seeks    to    preserve  his  7,9 
people    from    the    fate    of    captivity   with   which    he    has    already   threatened   it. 
Probablv,    therefore,    the   lost   passage   referred    to    the    overthrow   of  Syria   and 
Israel    by   the    Assyrians.      Who   are    Rezin,    he    says,    and    ben-Renialiah    that 

5  they  should  terrify  you?  They  shall  soon  be  overthrown,  and  their  people 
dragged  into  exile.  Trust  the  prophetic  word,  and  ye  shall  never  have  to 
gii'C  cvay  (28,16).  Of  course,  Isaiah  does  not  mean  merely  the  word  of 
promise ;  he  implies  all  those  moral  conditions  which  he  has  e.xpressed  in 
cc.  2-5.  Observe  the  paronomasia  at  the  end  of  v.  9.  The  gloss  inserted  in 
10  v.  8  probably  refers  to  Assurbanipal's  colonization  of  the  territory  of  Samaria, 
described  authentically  in  Ezra  4,8-10.  The  chronology  may  or  may  not  be 
strictly  accurate. 

(14)  Probably  vv.  11 -16  represent  a   prophecy   of  a  later  day.     Isaiah   may  11 
have   heard,    or   divined,    that    Ahaz    (736-72S)    is   on   the   point   of  inviting   the 

15  aid  of  Assyria.  He  makes  one  more  desperate  effort  to  stimulate  Ahaz  to 
that  great  spiritual  effort  already  called  failh.  If  he  cannot  believe  Isaiah 
without  some  extraordinary  sign  as  a  confirmation  of  the  prophet's  word,  then 
(Isaiah  makes  this  strange  condescension)  let  him  choose  his  own  sign. 
Isaiah    adds,   going    deep    to    S/ieol   or   high    to    heaven   (so    literally),    to    give 

20  Ahaz  the  utmost  range  of  choice  [cf.  Job  11,7.8).  Ahaz  refuses  the  offer. 
He  does  not  doubt  the  wonder-working  capacity  of  Isaiah,  but  he  knows  that 
the  prophet  demands,  not  only  a  change  of  policy,  but  a  change  of  life. 

(15)  The  sign   appointed   in   vv.   14.16   is   not   in   order  to   persuade   Ahaz,   14 
but   to   save  the  honor  of  Jhvh's   prophet.     It  is  not,  therefore,  such  a  startling 

25  one  as  if  it  had  been  selected  by  the  king.  It  consists  simply  in  the  name 
which  mothers  will  before  long,  by  a  kind  of  inspiration,  give  to  their  newly 
born  babes.  Not  Ichabod  [No  glory,  i  Sam.  4,21),  but  Immanuel  [God  ivHh 
us),  or  some  similar  name  expressing  the  deliverership  of  Jhvh,  shall  become 
the  common  name   of  the   children   of  that  generation.     Nothing  is  said  of  the 

30  diet  of  the  children  who  are  referred  to ;  v.  15  is  a  very  misleading  gloss.  The 
name  Immanuel  will  be  to  all  the  people  a  memorial  of  the  retreat  of  the 
invading  armies,  and  a  pledge  of  the  impending  desolation  of  Syria  and 
Ephraim,  and  to  Ahaz  in  particular  it  will  also  be  a  memorial  of  his  own 
unbelief.      Cf.  the  sign  of  the  divine  mission  of  Moses  tn  Ex.  3  ,  12.     In   a  tradi- 

35  tional  Arabian  story  told  by  Ibn  Hisham,  a  Jew  of  Medina  is  said  to  have 
uttered  a  prediction,  the  sign  of  which  consists  simply  in  the  fact  that  a  boy 
present  in  the  company  (the  relator  of  the  story)  will  live  to  see  the  predic- 
tion fulfilled.     See  Bev.\n,  Jcivish  Quarterly  Review,  vi  (1894),  pp.  220  ff. 

(  16)    Before   he   has   learned  to  distinguish  between  what  is  wholesome  and   16 

40  harmful,  especially  in  foods  (2  Sam,  19,35),  /.  e.  before  he  has  been  weaned. 
Cf.  8 , 4. 

(17)   The   words   the   king  of  Assyria    are    a    subsequent    addition    inserted   17 
by  a  scribe.     It  is  a  gloss  which  supplements  a  gloss,  and  shows  how  persistent 
were  the  endeavors  of  the  editors   to   adapt  the  ancient  Scriptures  to  the   wants 

45  of  later  readers. 

(iS)  This  first  fragment  may,  from  its  vigorous  style,  be  mainly  Isaiali's  iS 
work.  Whether  the  flies  and  the  bees  refer  to  one  nation,  or  (as  the  glosses 
assume)  to  two,  must  be  uncertain.  If  to  two,  we  may  make  the  fragment 
contemporary  with  the  negotiations  between  Tirhakah  and  Hezekiah,  which 
50  issued  in  the  despatch  of  a  relieving  force  under  some  of  Tirhakah's  Egyptian 
vassals  to  encounter  the  host  of  Sennacherib.  In  the  other  case,  the  date  may 
be  early.  The  figure  of  hissing,  and  the  use  of  end  for  furthest  part,  remind 
us  of  5 , 26 


-8,6 


-^*«^*g£*-  (llo(c6  on  I  300116 


142 


(19)  I, it.  the  hair  of  /hr  /ccf,  the  latter  being  a  euphemism  for  pudenda;  so  7,20 
also  /oiiis  (Heb.  fffi)  in  6  ,  2. 

(20)  For   this   strange   figure,    cf.   Ezek.  5,1-4.      The   people   is   personified 
as   a   man    (1,5.6).      The   razor   is   the   sword   (not   the   king    who    wields    it  i. 

5  The  River  is  the  Euphrates  (Jer.  2,  18;  P.s.  72,8). 

(21)  Verses   21-25   are   a   most    clumsy",    prosaic,    and    incoherent    passage!  21 
The    general    sense,    however,    is  clear.      Owing   to   the    havoc   wrought   by   the 
invaders  there  will  be  a  superabundance  of  pasture-land,  and  the  few  survivors 
of  the  fortner  settled  population  will  have  to  live,  like  nomads,  on  soured  milk 

10  and  ( wild )  honey.  Even  the  vineyards  and  carefully  tilled  hill-country  will  then 
be  desolate.  Soured  milk  is  the  chief  food  of  the  Arabian  nomad.  "The  bowl 
brought  in  foaming,"  says  Mr.  Doughty,  "the  children  gather  to  it,  and  the 
guest  is  often  bidden  to  sup  with  them  the  sweet  froth  ;  or  this  milk  poured 
into   the  sour   milk-skin   and   shaken   there   a   moment,    the   housewife    serves   it 

15  forth  again  to  their  suppers,  with  that  now  gathered  sourness  which  they  think 
the  more  refreshing"  (Arabia  Dcscrta,  i.  263). 

(22)  A  Hebrew  silver  shekel   is   about   65   cents    (or   2/S).     This   may   help  23 
us  to  form  an  estimate  of  the   natural   riches   of  ancient    Palestine.     Cant.  8,11 

is  partly  parallel. 

20  (23)  Probably   a   wooden   or   a   stone    tablet    is    meant   [cf.   Hab.  2,2).      It  8,1 

would  be  a  boon  if  the  Israelitish  scribe  could  be  imagined  at  his  work  as 
distinctly  as  the  ancient  Egyptian  scribe  can  be  through  the  paintings  in  the 
tombs.  Whether  papyrus  was  used  in  ancient  Palestine,  is  a  point  which  can- 
not be  decided.     The  scribe  in   the  illustration  is  writing  on  a  strip  of  papyrus ; 

25  he  has  a  pi-n  in  reserve  behind  the  ear,  and  a  bo.\  for  the  requisites  of  his 
art  before  him. 


Ki.vrriAN  scKiui: 


(24)  /.  e.  perhaps   in   characters   like  those   of  the   workmen    in   the  Siloam 
Tunnel  (see   ne.\t  page),  with   no  calligraphic  modifications.     Lit.  with  the  pen 
0/  (eoiinnon)  men;   ef.  Deut.  3,  11. 
30  (25)  See  2  Kings,  chapter  16,  verses  10.  11.  2 

(26)  /.  e.  Swift-Spoil  —  Speedy-Prey,  the  name  on  the  tal>let.  3 

(27)  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Damascus  was  taken  in  732,  and  Samaria  in   722.  4 
Isaiah  was  no  mere  soothsayer. 

(28)  The   prophet   contrasts    the  apparently  slender  resources  of  Judah  with  6 
35  the   overwhelming   force   of  Assyria.      The   people   of  Judah    are    blind    to    the 

true  source  of  greatness,  which  is  spiritual  and  not  material.  They  virtually 
reject  Jhvh  (/.  e.  the  Jhvh  of  Isaiah),  and  bow  down  in  abject  terror  before 
Assyria.  The  former  is  symbolized  by  the  Waters  of  Shiloah,  which,  however 
beneficent,  an-  to  outward  appearance  insignificant;  the  latter  by  the  Euphrates. 
40  What   then   are   the    IVaters  0/  Shitoah^     In    2  Kings   20,20   we  are  told  that   it 


143 


QXotce  on  I  3saia&  <B^%i»t^- — 


was    Hezekiah   w/io  made  the  pool,   and  the  conduit,   and  brought  water  into  the  8 
city.     No  doubt  the  Pool  of  Siloain  is  meant,  which   is   situated   at  the   extreme 
south    of   the    eastern    hill    of   Jerusalem    (on    the    north    of    which    stood    the 
Temple).     A   conduit  or   tunnel,  cut  through  the  rock   from  the  Virgin's  Spring, 
5  supplies  this   pool   with   water,   and   in    iSSo  an    inscription    in    ancient   Hebrew 

SILOAM    INSCRIPTION. 

characters  was  found,  describing  the  meeting  of  the  workmen  coming  from 
opposite  ends,  when  there  flowed  the  water  from  the  source  to  the  pool,  1200 
cubits.  This  inscription  most  probably  belongs  to  the  time  of  Hezekiah 
(727-699),  but  it  is  very  possible  that  already  under  his   father  Ahaz  (736-728) 

10  there  was  some  less  elaborate  means  of  conducting  the  water  ( which  then 
'flowed  softly,'  i.  e.  trickled)  from  the  Virgin's  Spring  to  the  pool.  Note 
that  the  name  Shiloah  (cf  John  9,7)  properly  belongs  to  the  spring,  not  to 
the  pool.  Thus  Isaiah's  figure  has  a  twofold  meaning.  The  people  would 
use    it    contemptuously,    but     Isaiah    in    heartfelt     respect    (see    Ps.  46,4,     and 

15  <■/   Is.  33.21). 

(29)   This  line  seems  to  belong  to  a  different  context  from  And  shall  sweep  S 
forward,  &c.     It  should  probably  be   connected  with  vv.  9 .  10,  which   state  that 
the  peoples  hostile  to  Judah  will  be  overthrov\'n.     The  outspread  wings  are  those 
of  Jhvh  ;  see  Deut.  32,  10.  II  ;   Pss.  17,8;  36,7;  91,4;  Mai.  4,2,  and  compare 

20  the   winged  solar  disk  on  Egyptian  wall-sculptures.     Verses  S^-io  are  probably 


WINGED    SOLAR    DISK    ON    EGYPTIAN    WALL-SCULPTURES. 

a  later  insertion;  they  seem  to  presuppose  the  same  circumstances  as  28,1-6. 
We  need  not  deny  the  authorship  of  Isaiah,  though  it  is  probable  that  the 
refrain  For  with  us  is  God,  by  which  the  address  to  the  hostile  nations  is 
enclosed,  is  due  to  the  post-E.\ilic  editor.     See  on  17,  12-14. 


8,io-9,i  ^*4«»e®is- (HolcB  on  I  3eaiaB -»*s|a*<^  144 

(30)  The    same    refrain    as    in    Ps.  46,7.11   (  Ps.  46,  as   the   present   writer  8.10 
holds  to  be  certain,  is  post-Exilic).     Cf.  Is.  7,  14  ( Inimanuel ). 

(31)  A   figurative   description   of  a   prophetic   ecstasy.     The   divine   Hand   is  11 
specialized   to   indicate   the   compulsion   of    uiiich   the   inspired    prophet   is    con- 

5  scious.  Nowhere  else  does  Isaiah  employ  this  phrase  ;  for  similar  language  w'e 
must  descend  to  the  time  of  Ezekiel  (about  570),  who  in  several  respects  is  a 
reviver  of  antique  modes  of  consciousness  (see  Ezek.  1,3;  3  ,  14  .  22  ;  8,3:  37  ,  i ). 
It  was  perhaps  only  at  great  national  crises  that  Isaiah  passed  through  these 
ecstatic  experiences  in  their  most  exalted  form  ;  the  strain  of  existence  at  such 
10  times  may  have  made  him  more  liable  to  these  abnormal  states.  There  is  a 
trace  of  his  having  had  another  ecstasy  at  the  beginning  of  the  crisis  of  the 
invasion  of  Sennacherib  (see  on  28,  10)  ;  of  course,   it  was  not  his  only  one. 

(32)  Verses    11 -15   are   a   continuation   of  vv.  5-S.      In    v,  6   we   have   lieen  12 
told,    This  people  has  rejected  a   God  whose   power  they   liken  to    the  trickling 

15  waters  of  Shiloah,  and  despond  because  of  Rezin  and  Pekah,  and  in  vv.  12.  13 
the  prophet  and  his  disciples  are  warned  not  to  cry  out  in  alarm  at  every  fresh 
combination  of  enemies,  but  to  reserve  their  fear,  their  heartfelt  reverence,  for 
Israel's  mighty  God.  Only  thus  can  they  avoid  tlie  fate  which  awaits  uiany  of 
both  Houses  of  Israel. 

20  {Zi)  i-  c.  an  occasion  of  misfortune.  14 

(34)  The  admonition  or    instruction    is   the    whole    body    of   prophetic  revela-   16 
tions  from   7,3  onwards   (in  the  form  in  which   Isaiah  wrote  them).     It  is  to  be 
bound  up   and   scaled    (cf.   Dan.   12,4),   /.  e.  carefully   kept   in   the   circle   of  the 
prophet's  disciples,  to  be  brought  out  on  a  later  day  [cf.  Is.  30,8). 
25  (35)  The  prophet  refers  to  the  names  Isaiah   (Deliverance  of  jHi'll),  Shear-  iS 

jashub  [A  remnant  shall  turn),  and  Malier-shalal-hash-baz  (see  v.  i).  Nonieii- 
omen. 

(36)  Two  kinds  of  spirits  are  described:    those  in  the  underworld  and  tliose   19 
that  attended  the  soothsayer.    Corresponding  to  these  were  two  slightly  different 

30  kinds  of  diviners  :  the  one  assumed  a  cheeping  voice  like  that  ascribed  to  the 
shades  (cf.  Horn.  //.  23,  loi),  the  other  a  moaning  or  crooning  voice  like  that 
of  doves  (28,  14)  ;  cf.  also  29,  4,  and  notes  on  i  Sam.  28. 

(37)  /.  e.  to  the  prophetic  revelation  of  the  will  of  Jhvh.     Isaiah  means,  not  20 
his  own  recent  prophecies,  but  others  which  the  people  (dramatically  introduced 

35  by  him)  vainly  hoped  to  obtain.  Cf.  Am.  8,11,  /  linll  send  a  famine  .  .  .  of 
hearing  the  words  of  jHi'll.  .bid  they  shall  run  to  and  fro  to  seel;  the  "word 
of  JllfH,  and  shall  not  find  it. 

(38)  These  words  do   not   connect   themselves   well  with  the  foregoing   pas- 
.sage.     They  may  be  a  fragment  of  a  passage  of  Isaianic  origin  which   preceded 

40  vv.  21.22.  These  two  verses  (which  contrast  with  vv.  19.20  by  their  vigorous 
and  rhythmical  style)  cannot  be  denied  to  Isaiah. 

(39)  i.  e.    through  the   land,   which    in    the    original    context    must    have    been  21 
mentioned. 

(40)  ;'.  e.  the  national  God  (cf.  i   Kings  21  ,  10). 

45  (41)  The   districts   mentioned   are   those   xvliich    suffered   in    the   ciplivity   of  9,[ 

Tiglath-Pileser  III  ( 734 1  ;  see  2  Kings  15,29,  where,  however,  Zebulun  is  not 
mentioned.  This  prosaic  passage  introduces  a  grand  poetic  composition,  in 
which  the  writer  places  himself  imaginatively  at  the  end  of  the  period  of  Israel's 
oppression,   when   a  great   divinely   appointed   leader   and  governor   will   appear, 

50  who  will  iiutdu  all  that  David,  his  father,  did  of  old.  Tlie  whole  description 
is  in  the  manner  of  a  vision  ;  the  perfects  and  presents  are  equivalent  to  futures. 


145  — i>**5^eai*- (Jlotcs  on  I  38ata3 -ifiK^sK-s —  9,1''' -17,  9 

If  it  were  Isaiah's  we  should  have  to  place  it  in  i!.  c.  734,  but  there  are  grave  9 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  this  view.  Only  two  can  be  here  mentioned:  (<;)  there 
are  no  references  to  9,  1-6  elsewhere  in  Isaiali,  or  indeed  anywhere  in  pre- 
Exilic,  Exilic,  and  early  post-Exilic  prophecy ;  [/>)  The  prophecy  lacks  Isaiah's 
5  lucidity.  Who  is  the  king?  Is  he  a  relative  of  Ahaz?  And  how  has  he  been 
prepared  for  his  work  ?  Isaiah's  prophecies  are  always  in  close  relation  to  the 
circumstances  of  his  age.  The  passage,  moreover,  is  in  a  rhythm  which  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  this  section,  and  cannot  with  any  certainty  be  assigned  to 
Isaiah. 
10  (42)  The   pas-iage   could   also   be   rendered:    /-or  there  is  iiof  (i!ok<)  a  dark  1^ 

veil  to  the  land  ivhich  has  anguish. 

(43)  Compare  Isaiah   10,26;  Judges  7.  '  4 

(44)  These   are    titles    which   a   grateful   people  (and   not,  as   in   Egypt    and  5 
Assyria,  self-seeking  scribes  and  priests)  will   give   to   the   king.     They   are   four 

15  in  numljer.  The  first  two  describe  the  king  as  indued  from  above  with  a 
spirit  of  counsel  and  inigJit ;  he  can  purpose  and  execute  that  which  common 
men  would  call  impossible.  The  third  extols  him  for  the  abundant  booty  which 
he  distributes  among  his  people.  The  fourth  describes  the  great  object  and 
issue   of  his   warfare,    viz.   the    peace   and   prosperity  of  his   subjects.     For   the 

20  first,  cf.  28,29.  For  the  second  ( Heb.  el  gibbor),  10,21,  which  shows  that  we 
are  not  to  render  divine  hero:  the  king  seems  to  Isaiah,  in  his  lofty  enthusi- 
asm, like  one  of  those  angels  (as  we  moderns  call  them),  who  in  old  time  were 
said  to  mix  with  men,  and  even  contend  with  them,  and  who,  as  superhuman 
beings,  were  called  by  the  name  of  el  (Gen.  32,22-32).     For  the  third,  cf.  33, 

25  23,  which  seems  to  allude  to  our  passage.  Q'.  also  11,2,  where  all  that  the 
four  names  say  (and  even  more)  is  briefly  summed  up  in  the  statement  that 
the  spirit  of  JHVH  rests  upon  him. 

(Uetee  on  (prop^ccp  6 

(pp.  15. 16) 

30  ( I )   The  prophecy  relates   both   to   the   kmgdom   of  Damascus   and   to  that  17 ,  i 

of  Samaria,  which,  when  the  prophet  wrote,  was  in  vassalage  to  Damascus  — 
hence  the  combination,  m  v.  3,  of  the  fortresses  of  Ephraim  and  the  sovereignty 
of  Damascus.  Naturally,  however,  the  writer  is  much  more  concerned  with 
Northern   Israel  than   with  Syria.     The    date    is   before   732    (fall   of  Damascus), 

35  and  presumably  before  734  (see  on  c.  7),  since  there  is  no  allusion  to  the  Syro- 
Israelitish  campaign  against  Judah.  The  date  of  the  second  gloss  m  v.  8  will 
not  be  earlier  than  that  of  27,10  (where  see  note). 

(2)  Israelites  in  v.  3  and  Jacob  in  v.  4  refer  to  the   Northern   Kingdom  (cf.  3.4 
2  Samuel  2  ,  9  .  10.  17  .  28,  and  other  passages). 

40  (3)    The    plain    southwest    of  Jerusalem    (see    Josh.   15.8"),    well   known   to  5 

Isaiah's  hearers  as  a  fruitful  grain  district. 

(4)  The  editor  seeks  to  brighten  a  dark  prophecy  by  these  verses.     A  third  8 
writer  added  the  gloss  printed   beneath   the   text.     For  the  objects  mentioned  in 
it.  see  on  Lev.  26,30;  Ex.  34,  13. 

45  (5)  Like   Amos    (2,9.10)  and  the  Ephraimitic  Writer  (Gen.  48,22),  I.saiah  9 

calls  the  pre-Israelitish  population  of  Canaan  Amorites.  The  cities  of  the 
Hivites  and  Canaanites  are  mentioned  in  2  Sam.  24 ,  7 ;  the  Gibeonites  are 
called  both  Hivites  and  Amorites  (Josh.  9,1;  11 .  19;  2  .Sam.  21 ,  2).  The  words 
relegated  to  the  footnote  are  unmetrical  and  jirosaic,  and  only  show  the  interest 

50  which  later  editors  took  in  the  narratives  of  die  early  period  of  Israelitish 
history  —  narratives  which   were  perhaps  better  known  to  them  than  to  Isaiah. 


17  ,  lO-  12 


(Tlotco  on  I  36aia5  -sess^ss** — 


146 


(6)  The  worship  of  Adonis  or  Taiiimuz.  with  whom  Xanmaii  (the  nami;  17,10 
used  for  this  god  by  Isaiah)  may  be  identified,  was  of  Assyrian  origin,  but  also 
prevalent  in  Phoenicia  and  in  Syria  (cf.  the  proper  name  Naaman,  2  Kings 
5,1).  We  even  find  some  traces  of  its  existence  in  Palestine;  see,  besides 
5  several  doubtful  passages,  Ezek.  8.  17,  and  compare  names  such  as  Naafiiint,  the 
name  of  a  Benjamite  clan  (Gen.  46,21,  and  elsewhere),  and  Ninndiia  and 
Nmnana  among  the  names  of  places  in  Southern  Palestine  conquered  by 
Thothmes  III  (see  the  list  on  the  walls  of  his  temple  at  Karnak).  The  two 
latter  names  suggest  that   the   worship  of  N'aaman  or  Adonis  was   traditional    in 

10  certain  places  in  .Southern  Palestine,  and  upon  occasion  may  have  sprung  into 
fresh  life  (cf.  Is.  2,6).  In  Northern  Palestine,  of  course,  such  a  revival  of 
the  worship  of  Adonis  was  still  easier,  and  an  occasion  for  it  had  arisen  when 
Isaiah  wrote.  At  a  somewhat  earlier  period  it  might  have  been  natural  for  the 
Northern    Israelites   to  seek  the  favor  of  Assyrian  deities.     Since  then,    however, 

15  political  circumstances  had  changed,  and  the  Northern  Israelites  had  a  good 
hope  that,  with  the  help  of  Syria,  they  might  hold  their  own  against  Assyria. 
Once  more,  therefore,  they  forgot  Jhvh,  and  devoted  themselves  to  an  alien 
cultus,  and  this  time  to  that  of  a  Syrian  deity,  Naaman  or  Adonis.     The  Shoots 


of  Adonis  (Naaman)  re- 
20  mind  us  of  the  so-called 
Gardens  of  Adonis,  of 
which  there  is  evidence 
at  Ale.xandria,  at  Athens, 
and,  as  we  might  expect, 
25  in  Cyprus,  and  which 
may  be  presumed  to 
have  been  co-extensive 
with  the  worship  of  that 
fevorite  deity;  and  the 
30  fact  that  from  v.  10  on- 
wards Isaiah  addresses 
Israel  as  a  woman  may 
be    explained    by   the 


CYPRIAN   WOMAN 
"GARDEN    OF  ADONIS.' 


prominent  part  taken  by 
women  in  these  observ- 
ances. The  "gardens  of 
Adonis"  (which  were 
planted  by  women)  con- 
sisted of  baskets  of  earth, 
sown  with  various  plants, 
which  quickly  shot  up, 
and  as  quickly  withered 
in  the  sun.  This  was  a 
symbolical  representation 
of  tlie  fate  of  TaniDiitz 
yearly  wounded  (Mil- 
ton ) ;  and  some  idea  of 
the   importance  attached 


to  it  may  be  gained  from  the  procession  on  the  evening  of  Good  P'riday,  still 
35  customary  in  Cyprus.  Just  as  the  gardens  of  Adonis  were  placed  round  the 
bier  of  the  dead  Adonis,  so  the  bier  on  which  the  figure  of  the  dead  Christ  is 
placed,  is  decorated  with  the  modern  equivalent  of  the  gardens  of  Adonis 
(Ohnefalsch-Richter,  Kypros,  pp.  132  f. ).  The  prophet  Isaiah  seems  to  have 
e.xtracted  from  this  custom  an  omen  of  the  speedy  fall  of  the  Northern  Kingdom. 


40  (7)    This    passage     was     probably     attached     by     Isaiah     to    the     preceding  12 

prophecy  in  723,  to  reassure  those  who  feared  that  Jerusalem  would  share  the 
already  imminent  fate  of  Samaria.  Isaiah,  too,  thouglit  it  more  than  probable 
that  tlie  Assyrians  would  invade  Judah.  He  saw  them  in  ima.gination  spoiling 
and  plundering,  and  full   of  faith  he  uttered  the  defiant  words  of  8 ,  9 .  10,  and 

45  announced  the  catastrophe  so  grandly  described  in  17,  12-14.  Notice  the 
parallelism  between  vv.  12.13  ^nd  8,7-10,  and  for  the  imaginative  realization 
of  the  invasion  as  present,  cf.  10,28-32;  Mic.  i,  10-15. 


147 


®S!-  (JtotcB  on  t  "ieaia^  -^ss^^a^-^ 


28,1-2,3 


(llotce  on  (propficcj  7. 


I  p.  171 

(i)  The  editor  intends  cc.  28-33  to  be  regarded  as  a  book  in  itself,  28,1 
divided  into  six  portions,  each  beginning  with  iroc'  (28,1;  29,1;  29,15; 
5  30 ,  I ;  31 ,  I  ;  33 ,  I  )■  It  contains  an  unusually  large  amount  of  late  matter, 
inserted  partly  to  fill  up  mutilated  passages  of  Isaiah's  roll  of  prophecy  (see 
30,8),  pardy  to  adapt  the  old  prophecies  to  more  recent  times.  For  the  date 
of  Isaiah's  work  (excepting  28,  1-4),  see  especially  note  on  30,  i. 

(2)  The  prophet  fuses  two  images  together  —  that   of  the   revelers  with  their 
10  chaplets  of  flowers  (Lam.  5,  16),  and  of  the  picturesquely  situated  Samaria  with 

its  crown  of  towers  ( </.  23 , 8 )  and  the  greenery  of  its  vines  and  olives. 
Drunkenness  is  described  as  a  sin  of  Samaria,  Am.  4,1;  Hos.  7,5;  (/.  Am. 
6,  1-6  (of  Zion  and  Samaria). 

(3)  A  passage  in  the  style  of  4,2-6.     Isaiah  nowhere  e.xhorts  his  people  to  6 
15  fight.     The  image  in  v.  5^  is  borrowed,  infelicitously  enough,  from  v.  i. 


Qtotce  on  (prop^ccp  8. 

(pp.   17.  iS) 

( 1 )  The  close  of  a  lost  discourse  against  idolatry. 

(2)  A  sacred  tree  in  Canaan  and  in  Cyprus.     C/.  Gen.  12,6;  13,  S;   14,  13; 
20  18,  I ;  35,  4;  Jud.  6,  II .  19.  24.     Our  

illustration  represents  just  such  a 
terebinth  ( or  turpentine-tree )  as  may 
be  seen  to-day  in  Palestine. 

(3)  i.  e.  his  elaborate  provisions 
25  ( religious  and  political )  for  self-de- 
fense. 

(4)  2,2-4  occurs  again  i  on  the 
whole  in  a  more  correct  as  well  as 
more  complete  form)  in  Mic.  4 ,  1-4, 

30  where,  however,  there  is  good  reason 
to  think  that  the  passage  was  in- 
serted by  a  post-Exilic  editor.  No- 
tice the  complete  change  of  subject 
in   V.  6   (see  below),   and  the  awk- 

35  ward  transition  in  v.  5  and  the  open-  terebinth. 

ing  words  of  v.  6.     Probably  vv.  2-5 

exactly  filled  up  the  space  taken  by  a  passage  of  Isaiah's  prophecy  which  had 
become  illegible.  This  will  explain  why  the  passage  is  not  as  complete  as  in 
Mic.  4,  1-4. 

40  (5)   This  strange  idea   (the   physical   elevation  of  Jerusalem)   is   only   Exilic 

and  post-Exilic  (Ezek.  40,2;  Zech.  14,10). 

(6)  r/:jer.3,i7;  Is.  40 ;  66.23;  Zech.  8,  20-22  ;  14,16-19.  From  Jere- 
miah's time  onwards  the  religious  future  of  the  nations  preoccupied  the  minds 
of  the  prophetic  writers. 

45  (7)  The   manifoldness   of  the    ways,    or   practical    precepts,    of  Jhvh    .strikes  3 

even  an  Israelite  (Ps.  119),  and  how  much  more  a  stranger!  Jhvh  Himself 
must    give    instruction    in    them,   lest  oversights  should    be    made    (Ps.  19,12). 


2,4-^3. '5  — 9-*oS**Sis- (Jlofco  on  1  3i5''>'i?  ■*»eS*+-=- —  14S 

The    writL-rs   of  the   p(Wt-ExiUc   period    lo\-ed    to    think    of    God    as   a    Teaclier  2 
(see  on  30,  20.  21 ). 

(8)  Compare  Joel,  chapter  3,  \erse  10. 

(9)  Conijiare  Isaiah  9,3;  Hosea  2,iS;  Zechariah  9,10.  4 

(Itotce  on  (prop64cp  9. 

(pp.  iS-20) 

(i)    According    to    tlie    liistorian    Menander,    quoted    by   losepliu?;  (A///,    ix ,  23.1 
14.2),    Selampsas,    i.  c.    Shahiianeser    IV,  king    of   Assyria    {727-722),   invaded 
I'hcenicia  twice.     On   the   first   occasion    he    seems   to   have    had   some    success, 

10  but  the  second  campaign,  caused  by  the  rebelHon  of  Tyre,  had  no  briUiant 
result.  Sar.sion  (722-705:,  who  succeeded  Shalmaneser  during  the  five  years' 
blockade  of  Tyre,  only  claims  to  have  pacified  Tyre.  It  was  no  fault  of  his: 
till  Alexander  the  Great  joined  the  island  on  which  New  Tyre  was  built  to  the 
mainland  by   an   artificial    isthmus  (332),  Tyre   was   impregnable.     The   prophet, 

15  however,  seems  to  ha\'e  thought  otherwise.  The  doom  both  of  Tyre  and 
Samaria  was  sealed,  he  believed,  when  Shalmaneser  advanced  against  Pale.stine. 
It  is  to  this  period  that  c.  23  probably  belongs,  e.xcept  v,  13  and  the  Appendix. 
\'.  13,  at  any  rate  in  its  present  form,  belongs  to  the  post-Exilic  editor,  who 
supposed  the  prophecy  to  refer  to  the  siege  of  Tyre  in  5S6-'573i  by  Nebuchad- 

20  nezzar  {cf.  Ezek.  261.  The  Appendix,  too,  is  post-Exilic.  While  Tyre  is 
becomin.g  rich  again,  the  people  of  Jerusalem  are  hard  pressed  for  food  and 
clothing  {cf.  Ha.g.  i;  2,17;  Zech.  8.12).  The  writer  is  acquainted  with 
Jeremiah's  prophecy  of  the  seventy  years'  captivity  (Jer.  25,11;  29,10).  His 
style    is   strikingly    different    from    Isaiah's. —  Though    Isaiah    probably    wrote    a 

25  prophecy  on  Tyre,  liis  work  has  been  so  much  retouched  that  we  cannot  dis- 
tinguish the  genuine  Isaianic  fragments  in  this  chapter.     Cf.  p.  132  and  p.  207.  1.  19. 

(2)    Let  the    Phrenicians   (see   v.  2)   seek    as    distant    a    refuge  as  possible.  6 
Tarshish.   perhaps.  =  Tartessus  and  its  neighborhood   (on  the  lower   Baetis,  now 
the    Guadalquivir!.      The    Tyrian    colonies    on     the    coasts    of    Spain    and    of 

30  Northern  and  Western  Africa  probably  began  in  the  twelfth  century  B.  c. 

I  3 1  /.  ('.  for  purposes   of  commerce.  7 

(41   Tyre    (like    Babylon,  47,5)    is   a   queen   with   a   wide   empire;   her  mer-  8 
chants  at  hoine  and  abroad   are  princes  under  her.     The  crown  of  Tyre  may 
be  the  battlements  of  her  lofty  walls  (cf.  28,  1,  and  see  on  26,5). 

35  (5)    Alluding  to  the  severity  with    which  Tyre  ruled  her   dependencies.     No  10 

doubt  the  native  population  of  Tartessus  (here  apparently  addressed)  were 
made  to  work  hard  at  the  silver  mines. 

(6)   The   native   name   for   Phrenicia   even   down   to   Greek   times,  but  found  11 
nowhere  else  in  the  Old  Testament  with  this  special  meaning. 

40  17)    For  the  arm  of  Assyria  will   surely  reach   thee.     Sennacherib  (705-6S1)   12 

relates  how  Lilli,  king  of  Sidon,  fled  on  his  approach  lo  the  island  of  Cyprus 
( Heb.  Cliitfiin)  in  the  midst  of  the  sea  (701),  His  predecessor  Sargon 
(722-706)  received  tribute  from  seven  kings  of  Cyprus. 

(8)  See  note  i.  13 

45  (9)    Lit.,    during   the   days   of  one  f;ing;    iino^    for    tine  of  kings,    like  four  15 

kings  (or  four  dynasties  in  Dan.  7,17.  The  line  of  kings  referred  to  is  that 
represented  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  Appendix,  in  fact,  presuppo.ses  that  the 
precedin.g  prophecy  refers  to  Nebuchadnezzar's  supposed  successful  siege  of 
Tyre  (,586- .573- ). 


149  — »*eJSS*- (JlotcB  on  I  3oaia6 -iia&eEs**^  14,28-10,15 

(llo(C6  on  (PropBccj  lO. 

I  p.     2u; 

(i)  We  may  probably  place  the  death  of  Ahaz  in  719.  The  chronological  14,28 
statement  is  parallel  to  that  in  6,  i,  and  equally  authentic.  In  720  it  may  well 
5  have  appeared  to  the  Philistines  that  the  rod  of  the  Assyrian  tyranny  was 
broken.  The  Babylonian  Chronicle  states  that  in  tliat  year  Umnianigas,  kinst  of 
Elam  (who  had  helped  Merodach-Baladan  to  conquer  in  722)  fought  a  battle 
(with  Sargon)  at  Dur-il  in  Northern  Babylonia,  that  he  laid  Assyria  waste,  and 
slew    many.      Merodach-PJaladan,    we    learn,    came   too   late   for    the    battle,    but 

10  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  Sargon.  The  latter,  in  his  annals,  gives  a  verj-  different, 
and  a  less  trustworthy,  account.  Sargon's  prestige  was  for  the  time  seriously 
impaired.  The  Philistines,  who  had  suffered  much  from  Tiglath-Pileser  in  734, 
were  (it  would  appear)  exultant,  and  sent  an  embassy  to  Hezeliiah  (700)  to 
invite  him  to  join  them  in  rebellion.     Isaiah  became  aware  of  this  (see  v.  32^), 

15  and  told  Hezekiah  what  to  reply.  This  time  the  king  listened  to  his  advice  ; 
later  on,  he  more  than  once  changed  his  policy. 

(2)  Philistia  being  a  confederation  of  five  cities  (Josh.  13.3;  Jud.  3,3).  29 

(3)  The  rod  (10,5.24)   means  the   oppressive   rule  of  Assyria.     If  Sargon 
hitherto  has   been   like  a   serpent,    he  will  in  future  be  like  the  dreaded  basilisk 

20  and  flj'ing  dragon  130,6).  The  latter  is  a  more  or  less  fabulous  creature, 
spoken  of  also  by  Herodotus  who  heard  that  they  come  flying  from  Arabia 
towards  Egypt,  bat  are  met  by  the  birds  called  ibises,  which  forbid  their  entrance, 
and  destroy  them  all  (Herod.  2,75;  cf.  3,  107-109).  The  Fellahin  of  Palestine 
still  have  similar  tales  of  a   dreaded  kind  of  serpent  called  nashdba.  which  flies 

25  across  valleys,  and  even  bites  camels  (  B.\ldensferger,  Folklore  of  Palestine, 
Palestine  E.xploration  Tund,  Quarterly  Statement,  Jan.   1893). 

Qtotce  on  (J?rop6ccp  u. 

(pp.  21-26) 

(1)   The  Isaianic  portion  of  this  .little   book  must  have  been  written  shortly  10,5 

30  before  the  siege  of  Ashdod  (711  ;  see  on  c.  20).  For  the  reasons  why 
14,  24-27  is  included,  see  elsewhere.     The  gain  to  the  prophecy  is  obvious. 

(  2  I    From   V.  10  we   might  infer  that  impiety  and   idolatry  were   synonymous  6 
to   Isaiah.     It    is    plain,    however,    from   32 , 6   and   33 ,  14,    and    still    more   from 
Am.  1 .  2,  that  prophets  of  the   school  of  Isaiah   had  a  still  greater  aversion  to 

35  the  immorality,  or  false  morality,  than  to  the  religious  symbols  of  idolatrous 
peoples.  For  the  king  of  Assyria  the  prophet  seems  to  have  a  kind  of  respect ; 
he  would  not  be  chosen  as  the  rod  of  |h\h  if  he  were  not  morally  superior 
to  the  nations  whom  he  (virtually)  punishes.  But  he,  too,  has  offended,  at 
any  rate  by  that  pride  against  which  Jh\'H  has  a  day  in  readiness  (2,  12). 

40  (3)   The  fate  of  five  recently  conquered  Syrian   cities  is  mentioned,  togetlier  9 

with  that  of  Samaria,  as  a  warning  to  |erusalem.  The  cities  are  grouped  in 
three  pairs,  and  the  dates  of  their  respective  captures  are  probably  as  follows: 
(a)  Calno,  73S ;  Carchemish,  717.  {h\  Hamath,  720;  Arpad.  740.  (f)  .Samaria, 
722;    Damascus,    734.     For  the  form  of  the   question   in   v.  9,  cf.  Am.  6,2;   also 

45  Is.  36,  19;  37.  13- 

(4)  An  awkwardly  expressed  substitute  for  some  illegible  passage  of  Isaiah's  11 
work.     Notice  the  confusion  of  the  A.ssyrian  and  the  prophetic  points  of  view. 

(5)  An   ironical   insertion   like  29,  16.     Evidently  the    preceding,   badly  pre-  15 
served  passage  came  to  an  end  abruptly. 


io,i6-il,i  ^-^MeS^Siic  (Jlofoo  on  I  3oata5 -«S*«6*e-» —  150 

(6)  Another   awkward    piece  of  writiii.ij:    which   may,   however,   include  some  10,  16 
rehcs  of  Isaiah's  worl<. 

(7)  Cf.  vv.  20-23   "il'i    'I'e    su|)plementary   parts   of   c.  48.     In    liulli.    it   is  23 
presupposed  tliat   (later)    Israel   lacks   hearty  trust   in   God,  and  that   it   is   liable 

5  to  tlie  severest  punishment.  Both,  too,  imply  an  acquaintance  with  the  promise 
in  IIos.  1,10.  Notice  also  the  allusions  in  v.  21  to  the  names  Shear-Jashub 
(7,3)  and  EI-gibb(')r  {<) .  6,  =  Mighly  God)\  die  latter  is  here  applied,  not  to 
the  ideal  king,  but  to  Israel's  God. 

(8)  A   composite    passage.      V\'.  24-26  should   be   read   together   with    \v.   24 
10  13-15  (especially  with  v.  15).     At  v.  28  (strictly  speaking,  at   the   last  clause  of 

V.  27,  which,  however,  is  corrupt)  begins  a  description  of  an  Assyrian  invasion, 
which  the  prophet  dreads,  but  has  not  actually  experienced.  This  passage 
seems  to  belong  to  an  earlier  period;  it  may  be  contemporary  with  Mic.  I, 
10-15,  which  is  strikingly  parallel.  V.  27  is  merely  a  connecting  verse,  reniind- 
15  ing  us  of  9 ,  4.  Verses  33 .  34,  however,  demonstrably  belong,  on  grounds  of 
style  and  phraseology,  to  the  post-Exilic  editor. 

(9)  The   Assyrians  never  actually  took   this   route.      But  we  know  from  the  28 
inscriptions,  and  Isaiah  may  have  known  from  hearsay,  how  little  these  dreaded 
foes   regarded   the   obstacles   opposed   by   nature.     The   prophecy   of  the   sudden 

20  collapse  of  the  Assyrian  army  comes  with  all  the  greater  force  after  the  pre- 
vious description.  Aiath  (Ai,  east  of  Bethel)  is  only  nine  miles  from  Jerusalem. 
Migron,  on  the  road  between  Ai  and  Michmash  ;  not  the  same  place  as  .Saul 
once  occupied  to  check  the  southward  advance  of  the  Philistines  (i  Sam.  14.2). 
Michmash  is  certainly  the  modern  Muchinas  (7  miles  N.  of  Jerusalem),  north  of 

25  which  are  the  ruins  of  a  place  called  Makrt'in.  The  pass  (v.  29)  is  the  deep 
defile  of  tlie  Wady  Suweinit,  which  was  the  scene  of  Jonathan's  bold  adventure 
(i  Sam.  14.  I -16)  and  would  be  difficult  indeed  for  an  army!  The  Assyrians 
cross  this  pass  transversely  to  reach  Gcba,  now  Jeb' a  (i  Sam.  14,5),  where  they 
will  bivouac.    The  neighboring  towns  and  villages  are  in  consternation.     Among 

30  these  we  hear  of  Raniah,  now  er-Rdni\  Gibeah  of  Saul  (so  called  as  the  birth- 
place of  Saul ),  now  Tult'l  el-Fi'tl.  half-way  between  Jerusalem  and  Ramah  ; 
Gallim  and  Laishah,  probably  adjoining  villages,  represented  by  the  modern 
hamlet  c/-' Isdzciyc/i.  on  the  E.  slope  of  a  hill  to  the  NNE.  of  the  Mt.  of  Olives ; 
Aiiathoth.  the   modern  ' Aiidta,  well  known   as  the  birthplace  of  Jeremiah  ;  Mad- 

35  nienah  and  Gebiiii,  which  have  left  no  trace  of  their  existence,  and  especially 
A^ob  (i  .Sam.  22,19),  which  Robinson  would  place  somewhere  on  the  Mt.  of 
Olives,  NE.  of  Jerusalem,  but  which  it  is  safer  to  leave  unidentified.  This 
very  day,  it  was  rumored,  the  foe  is  to  liatt  in  Xob,  where  he  will  make  threat- 
ening gestures   against  Jerusalem.      What   Lsaiah   said    after  this,    can   never   be 

40  known.  The  editor,  who  knew  the  tradition  of  Sennacherib's  overthrow, 
makes  the  prophet  say  that  the  enemy  will  be  suddenly  laid  low.  No  doubt 
he  acted  in  all  good  faith :  supplementing  fragmentary  records  was  a  legiti- 
mate and  necessary  work,  if  the  writings  of  the  past  were  to  remain  the 
classics  of  the  present.     He  could  not,   however,  imitate  the   rhythm   of  the  pre- 

45  ceding  passage  Observe  that  the  figure  of  the  forest  for  the  Assyrian  host 
(v.  34)  connects  the  passage  with  vv.  17-19;  for  the  editors  were  often  deep 
students  of  prophecy,  and  skilfully  interwove  the  new  with  the  old. 

(10)  The   Glorious  One  is  Jhvh  (cf.  33,21!.  34 

(11)  V\'.  1-5  contain  a  descriptive  sketch  which    finely  sup])lements  that   in  II,  i 
50  9,5-6.     The  Prince  of  the  Four  Names  was  primarily  a  mighty  concjueror,  but 

the  ideal  king  before  us  is  a  ruler  of  proved  capacity  and,  above  all.  of  refined 
character.  If  the  prophecy  be  Isaiah's,  its  greater  spirituality  of  tone  may  incline 
us   to   refer  it  to   a   more   advanced   period   in   the   life    of    Isaiah    than    9,  1-6. 


151  — »*e^gSS- (Jlotco  on  I  3 omafi  <•*»?£*«-» —  11,2-11 

There  are,  however,  grave  reasons,  derived  partly  from  the  language,  but  much  II 
more  from  the  subject-matter,  which  may  lead  us  to  doubt  whether  that  yreat 
prophet  can  have  written  it:  (a)  The  description  presupposes  a  general 
acquaintance  with  the  fall  of  the  Davidic  dynasty  as  a  prophetic  doctrine ;  but 
5  what  evidence  have  we  that  Isaiah  had  dwelt  enough  upon  this  to  make  tlie 
allusive  reference  in  v.  i  intelligible?  (b)  The  style  of  the  description  in  vv. 
6-8  is  like  that  of  a  more  reflective  age  than  Isaiah's,  and  of  one  which  took 
special  pleasure  in  preternatural  details.  But  the  chief  reason  for  doubting 
Isaiah's   authorship   is   that   there    is    no    reference    to    the    prophecy    elsewhere 

10  except  in  65  ,  25  and  in  Hab.  2 ,  14,  both  of  which  have  been  shown  to  be 
post-Exilic.  It  is,  at  any  rate,  a  fine  exposition  of  the  writer's  ideal  of  the  kingly 
character,  and  by  inserting  it  here  the  editor  gave  a  kind  of  artistic  finish  to 
the  composite  prophetic  work  before  him.  Later  on,  additions  were  made.  See 
Sections  5  and  6  on  p.  25. 

15  (12)  The  idea  is,  that  the  Davidic  family  shall  become  as  obscure  as  it  was 

formerly,  when  its  head  was  a  plain  Bethlehemite  citizen  (cf.  the  phrase  f/ic 
son  of  Jesse,  i  Sam.  25,10  &c.,  and  Mic.  5,2),  and  that,  on  a  sudden,  some 
one  of  its  members  shall  be  divinely  chosen  to  be  a  second  David. 

(13)  The  ideal  king,  who  has  already  been  called   Mighty  Divinity  (9,5),  2 
20  is  again  distinctly  separated  from   ordinary  human  beings.     He  is  greater  even 

than  prophets  like  Isaiah,  or  heroes  like  Gideon  (Jud.  6,34),  for  the  spirit  of 
Jhvh  rests  \  peniiancntly)  upon  him.     See  note  on  c.  4 ,  7. 

(14)  Illustrate  this  from   2  Sam.  16,1-4,  where   David,   seeing   that   Mephi-  3 
bosheth   has   not  accompanied   his   steward,    and    hearing    that    he    had    spoken 

25  treasonable  words  against  David,  transfers  all  jMephibosheth's  property  to  Ziba. 
In  this,  David  was  not  that  ideal  judge,  who  is  like  an  aiigel  of  Cod,  to  per- 
ceive that  which  is  good  and  that  zc'hich  is  bad  (2  Sam.  14,  17,  said  flatteringly 
of  David).  This  king  described  by  Isaiah  will  have  an  exceptional  faculty,  by 
which  he  will  be  able  to  correct  the  inadequacy  of  the  bodily  senses. 

30  U5)  The  king  needs  no  literal  szcord  of  Justice,  for  his  words  have  a  divine  4 

efficacy  (54,11;  cf  Hos.  6,5).  So  the  priests  said  to  an  Egyptian  king 
(Rameses  II)  that  his  words  produced  existence  every  day,  /.  e.  that  he  created 
by  his  word  (Virev,  Records  of  the  Past,  New  Series,  Vol.  v,  p.  12). 

(16)  Man    is    the    Messiah    of  Nature,    says    the    German    mystical     writer  6 
35  Xo\-.^Lis.     But   Isaiah's   picture   of  the    redemption   of  nature   is   perfectly   naive. 

It  is  the  most  natural  thing  in  the  world  that  the  overthrow  of  evil  among 
men  should  conduce  to  the  benefit  of  the  lower  animals.  For  Isaiah  is  not  so 
far  off  from  the  time  when  "the  earliest  Semites,  like  primitive  men  of  other 
races,  drew  no  sharp  line  of  distinction  between  the  nature  of  gods,  of  men, 
40  and  of  beasts"  (Robertson  Smith).  Cf.  Hos.  2,20.  Observe  that  vv.  7-9 
presuppose  the  Judaic  account  ( Gen.  2,  4b  ff". )  of  the  primitive  state  of  man, 
in  which  there  was  no  war  between  man  and  harmful  creatures,  and  no 
slaughter  of  domestic  animals. 

(17)  j?ybtt;/to'«  =  mountain-land  (as  Exodus  15,17).  9 
45           (iS)  i.  e.  not  (as  one  might  have   expected   from   v.   i)  the   family  of  Jesse.   10 

but  his  great  descendant  (</•  53.2;  i  Mace,  i,  10).  This  verse  is  an  editorial 
link  between  vv.  1-9  and  vv.  11-16. 

(19)  The   Messiah  is    not   here    regarded    as  a   king,   but  as   a  teacher  of 
God's    law.      He  is,    however,    no  ordinary  teacher,    but  clothed   with   divinity ; 

50  hence   Jerusalem   is    described   as   his    resting-place,   a  term  used  of  Jhvh    {cf. 
66  ,  I  ;   I  Chr.  28  ,  2  ;  Ps.  132  ,  S .  14). 

(20)  The   remnant  here,    as   in   all    Exilic   and    post-Exilic   passages,    means  11 
the   body  of  Jewish   exiles,  and  not,  as   in   10.  20.21,  the  people  of  Judah.     We 


II ,  15- 20,  I 


— >*o>sa*-  (Jlofco  on  I  38aia5  -»s*its34-< 


152 


shall   sue   presently  that   Isaiah   did  not,  so  far  as  we 

return  nf  his   exiled   cunn- 

trynien. 

121)    I'he     two    chief 
5  lands  where   the  Jews   are 

dispersed    are,    of   course, 

Assyria  and  Egypt  (see  v\. 

15.  16).      To     these     are 

added  several   other  coun- 
10  tries,   in    which    (taken   to- 
gether) it  is  not  historically 

conceivable  that  Jewish  ex- 
iles existed   in  the  time  of 

Isaiah,     All  becomes  clear 
15  if  we  understand  Assyria  to 

mean    the*  empire    of   the 

Ach;enienidae    (called    ./.v- 

syria    in    Ezra    6 ,  22,    and 

Baby  hi!     in     E^zra     5,  13; 
20  Neh.  13  ,  6);  cf.  on  27  ,  13  ; 

Zeth.  10,  10.  II.     Egypt  is 

here  used   in  the  sense  of 

Lower  Egypt,     The  centre 

of  .gravity  to  the  land  of  the 
25  Nile  was  in  fact   in  Lower 

Egypt,  both  during  the  later 

native  dynasties  and  under 

the   Ptolemies.     Patliros  = 

I'pper  Egypt,  the   original 
30  distinctness  of  which   Ironi  

S.\RGON    II. 


know,  look  forward  to  tl'.e  11 
Lower  Egypt  was  careful!)- 
expressed  in  the  hiero- 
glyphic symbols  of  the 
kings  of  Egypt,  Elam 
Susiana),  under  the  form 
hllaiiUu,  is  given  in  the 
'  uneiform  texts  as  the 
equivalent  of  Aiizan,  the 
name  of  the  original  king- 
dom of  Cyrus,  Elam  had 
been  conquered  by  Assur- 
banipal  in  645,  and  on  the 
fall  of  the  Assyrian  jiower, 
became  an  easy  prey  of 
Teispes,  the  great-grand- 
father of  Cyrus  the  Great 
(r/.  Jer.  49,34-39).  The 
phrase  the  countries  by  the 
[  i\h'diterraneaii\  Sea  is 
only  found  again  in  24,  15 
I  pos  t-Exi  lie)  and  Esth, 
10  ,  I,  Countries,  or  more 
precisely  coasts,  is  com- 
mon in  Isaiah,  and  is  a 
sign  of  late  date  (see  note 
on  40 ,  r  5  ) , 

(22)  The  Gulf  of  Suez  15 
and   the  Euphrates  are  re- 
ferred to. 


(23)    This    rhripter    is    full    of   phrases    and    ideas    taken    from    the    Psalter.  12 ,  i 
Among    the   closer    parallelisms   cf.    \.  2^    witli    Ps.  88 ,  1  ;    v.  2''   with    Ps.  118,  14 
(Ex.  15,21;  V.  3  wMth  Pss,  36,9;  87  ,  7  ;  \',  4-T  with   I's.  15,1;  v,  4''  with  Ps,  148, 
13;   V.  5  with   Ps.  93,  I    (Ex,  15.  i'm;   V,  6  with   Ps.  48,  i. 


Qlofce  on  (propficcp  12. 


'p 


261 


(i)    Apparently   an   extract   from   some   account   of  the   life   of    Isaiah,      The  20,i 
details    of  the   ori.gin    of  the    sie.ge    of    .Xshdod    are,    with    one    exception,    fully 
,given  by  Sargon  (722-7051.     It  appears  that  in  Ashdod,  as  in  Jerusalem,  there 

40  was  both  an  Assyrian  and  an  anti-Assyrian  jjartx-.  To  the  latter  belonged  King 
.■\zuri,  who  was  soon  displaced  by  his  brother  .\khimit,  a  nominee  of  Assyria, 
But  Akhimit  had  reckoned  without  his  host,  when  he  accepted  the  crown.  He 
was  deposed  in  a  popular  insm'rection,  and  one  who  had  no  riglit  to  the 
throne,   called  Jaman   (Javani,    or  Jatnan  (  =  an    Ionian   or   Greek?),    was   made 

45  king.  In  his  eleventh  year  (711),  says  .Sargon,  he  took  the  field  against 
Ashdod,  and  Jaman  lied  before  him  (into  Muvuri,  Asdudu  (Ashdod),  Gimtii 
(Gathi,  and  Asdudimmu  (.Ashdod  by  the  Sea)  were  captured,  and  their 
populations  carried   away  captive,    while  the   king   of  Melukha  delivered   up  the 


153  ^«*e#S5Ss- (Itolce  on  I  38ata^ -sss^e*** —  30,3-88,16 

unhappy  Jamau  to  his  enemies.  Tilt-  single  point  in  which  Sargon's  Assyrian  20 
scribe  is,  presumably,  inaccurate  is  his  ascription  of  the  siege  and  capture  of 
Ashdod  to  Sargon  himself.  Historical  probability  is  in  favor  of  the  Hebrew- 
writers'  statement  that  the  besieging  army  was  commanded  by  the  Tartan 
5  (properly  Turtdnu)  or  general-in-chief.  This  is  the  only  passage  in  the  Old 
Testament  in  which  the  name  of  Sargon  occurs  (see  on  2  Kings  18,  101.  And, 
strange  to  say,  it  was  this  almost  forgotten  king  whose  palace  was  the  first  in 
Assyria  trodden  by  the  foot  of  the  explorer.  The  portrait  on  the  preceding 
page,  from  the  triumphal  stele  set  up  at  Citium  in  Cyprus,  and  now  at  Berlin, 
10  illustrates  not  only  our  passage  but  the  statement  in  23,  12. 

( 2 )  The   three   years   are   to   be    reckoned    from    the    usurpation    of  Jaman  3 
which   may   be  placed   in    713,    in    virtual   agreement   with   one   of  the   Assyrian 
texts  relative  to  the  siege  of  Ashdod. 

(3)  i.  e.  Palestine.  There  is  a  tacit  reproach  in  the  phrase:  Judah  had  6 
15  become  as  profane  as  the  neighboring  peoples.  Sargon  describes  them  col- 
lectively thus:  (the  people)  of  Philistia,  Judah,  Edom,  and  Moab,  who  dwell  by 
the  Sea,  'who  owed  tribute  and  presents  to  Assur,  my  lord,  who  plotted  rebel- 
lion, and  planned  insolence,  who,  to  make  him  hostile  to  me,  carried  their  bribes 
for  alliance  to  Pir' ii  (Pharaoh),  king  of  Egypt,   a  prince  who  could  not  deliver 

20  them. 

(Itofes  on  (propBccj  13. 

(pp.  27-40) 

(i)  Verse  7  was  evidently  so  framed  (by  Isaiah  or  by  a  later  editor)  as  28,7 
to  connect  the  first  and  second  parts  of  this  chapter;  it  states  that  Jerusalem 
25  is  morally  no  better  than  Samaria.  Priests  and  prophets  reel  while  discharging 
their  sacred  functions.  They  have  come  drunk  from  the  tables  in  the  outer 
court  of  the  Temple,  where  a  sacrificial  feast  has  been  held  (cf  i  Sam.  i,  13). 
Verses  8-10  describe  a  scene  which  has  been  enacted  there. 

(2)  In  vv.  9-12,  revelation  (lit.  that  which  is  heard;   so   v.  19;  53,1).  is  a  11 
30  synonym   for   oracle  (see   on  1,24);    cf.  v.  22.     The   untranslated   words,    fav  la- 

gav,  gav-la-qav,  are  really  not  words  at  all,  but  express  the  senselessness  which 
these  mockers  impute  to  Isaiah's  prophesying,  when  he  was  still  under  the 
influence  of  inspiration.  Sometimes,  probably,  Isaiah  waited  till  the  physical 
phenomena   of  prophetic  inspiration  had   passed    away,    but   just    now    he    was 

35  mastered  by  the  Hand  (8,  11)  as  he  was  gazing  in  disgust  at  the  tables  of  the 
drunkards.  The  strange  monosyllables  are  a  coarse  specimen  of  mimicr>-,  and 
illustrate  the  contemptuous  use  of  the  phrase  to  drop  for  to  prophesy  in  Am. 
7,16;  Mic.  2,6.11,  and  madman  for  prophet  in  2  Kings  9,11;  Jer.  29,26. 
These   bad   priests   and   prophets   treat   Isaiah   as   a    madman,    who    drops    unin- 

40  telligible  sounds,  or  as  a  gibberer ;  but  Jhvh,  whose  Servant  they  mock,  will 
send  gibberers,  i.  e.  barbarians,  to  bring  them  to  a  juster  view. 

(3)  Diplomacy   is   to   the   politicians    a    means   of   insuring   themselves    and   15 
the   state   against  going    down    into  Sheol    (5,14).     Their   present   object   is   an 
alliance   with   Egypt,    which   involves   much   secrecy  (29,15)   and   craft   (30,12), 

45  and  also  perhaps  the  breaking  of  an  oath  to  Assyria  (cf.  Ezek.  17,  13-19). 
Hence  Isaiah's  phrase  a  lie. 

(4)  i.  e.  the   Assyrian  invasion    (cf.\.2\    8,7;   10,26).      Exactly    the   same 
confusion  of  figures  occurs  in  the  Coran  (89,  12). 

(5)  Not   diplomacy,    but  faith   in   Israel's   righteous  and   self-revealing   God,   16 
50  is  the  true   insurance    against    disaster.     Jhvh    is    the    Rock  of  Israel  (17,10; 

30,29;  cf  Gen.  49,24);  He  has  a  moral  purpose,  in  the  working  out  of 
which    Israel   is   called   upon    to    co-operate   with    its   God.     Those   who   do   not 


28,17-29,5  — »*f^«S!s- (Jlofco  on  I  3 e<3i a 6 -«*»#»•«•«—  154 

see  Ihvh's  purpose,  and  treat  Him  as  if  Ih-  liail  merely  such  a  natural  liund  28 
with  His  people  as  Chemosh  has  with  Moab,  will  stumble  and  fall  on  this 
rock  (8,14.15);  but  those  who  by  faith  hold  fast  (7,9)  to  the  prophetic 
announcement  of  this  purpose  ivill  not  (have  to)  give  way,  i.  c.  will  be  tirmly 
5  planted,  like  a  7tail  in  a  sure  place  (22,25).  What  then  is  the  invisible  but 
most  swxii  foundation-stone  (v.  16)?  Jhvh's  revealed  relation  to  Israel.  This 
relation  the  God  of  Israel  has  established,  is  establishing,  and  will  establish 
ever  more  and  more  by  the  words  of  His  prophets  and  the  solemn  acts  of  His 
regal  sway. 
10  (6)  Compare  2  Kings,  chapter  21,  verse  13.  17 

(7)  They  shall  call   to   mind    Isaiah's  prophetic  oracle   on   the  scourge,  and  19 
understand  it  but  too  well. 

(8)  See  2  Samuel  5,20.25;  i  Chronicles  14,16.  21 

(9)  Because  performed  on  Jhvh's  own  people. 

15  (10)  i.  e.  the  restraints  of  severe  punishment  (if.  ]oVi  36,8).  22 

fii)   A   didactic   poem   suggested    by   natural    phenomena.     Ploughing,    says  23 
the   writer,    does   not   go   on   all   through   the   year;    nor   is   everything   threshed 
with   the  same  severity.     These  ancient   rules  of  husbandry  are  applications  of 
eternal    principles.     Jhvh    in    His    wisdom   varies    His    procedure    according    to 

20  circumstances,  and  according  to  the  character  of  those  with  whom  He  deals. 
The  ploughers  ( Ps.  129,3)  and  the  threshers  (Is.  21,10,  late)  are  the  Baby- 
lonians, and  perhaps  the  Persians,  who  will  not  be  allowed  to  deal  with  Israel 
as  they  have  done  with  other  nations.  For  Israel  there  is  a  future  and  a  hope 
(Jer.  29,11).      How   could   such   a   message   be   addressed    to   the   scoffing   jioli- 

25  ticians  of  v.  14?  The  phraseology  and  the  contents  of  the  passage  point  equally 
to  the  E.xilic  or  post-E.\ilic  period. 

(12)  It  is  the  great  autumnal  festival  (see  next  note),  when  attention  is  with  29,  i 
difficulty  won  for  a  gloomy  sermon.     So  Isaiah,  who  knows  the  power  of  names, 
addresses  Jerusalem   by  a  new   name,   which   is   best   explained   by  31,9:  jHl'H 

30  who  has  a  fire  in  Zion  and  a  furnace  in  ferusalem.  The  fire  is  evidently 
that  of  the  altar,  not  however  of  the  visible,  but  of  the  invisible  altar,  which 
Isaiah  knows  from  his  vision  (c.  6)  to  be  really  existent  in  the  sanctuary.  It 
is  this  altar  which,  more  than  anything  else,  communicates  sacredness  to 
Jerusalem.     Jerusalem,  therefore,  can   be   called   Arial  or,   perhaps,  Altar-hearth . 

35  just  as  another  sacred  town  can  be  called  Beth-el  from  the  sanctuary  which 
it  contains.  But  here  Isaiah's  paradox  comes  in :  the  altar-hearth  city  \\\\\ 
shortly  justify  its  name  in  an  unexpected  way  (see  on  30,  i). 

(13)  The   cycle   of  yearly   festivals   is  just  over   (Ex.  34,22).     One  or   more 
cycles  may  possibly  run  their  course,  and  then  the  crisis  will  come. 

40  (14)    One   would   expect    the   Arial  city   to    protect    its    inmates.     But    how  2 

can  it  protect  those  who  think  that  they  have  complied  with  all  necessary 
conditions  by  offering  sacrifices  (I,  11 -13)?  Of  tlie  true  but  invisible  Arial  the 
rulers  have  no  more  conception  than  of  the  true  but  imisible  foundation-stone 
(28,16).     And    yet    Isaiah's    symbolic    name    is    fitly    chosen.     As    the    visible 

45  altar-hearth  in  the  Temple  reeked  with  the  blood  of  sacrificial  victims,  so  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem  shall  run  with  the  blood  of  its  slaughtered  citizens. 
Reason  enough  then  for  moauii/i;  and  hcDioaning  (the  assonance  is  in  the 
Hebrew). 

(  15)     David    encamped    against    Jerusalem    before    it    had    become   JhvH's  3 

50  Altar-hearth ;  nou-  Jhvh  encamjis  against  His  own  Altar-hearth.  Strange  is 
His  work,  as  the  projihet  says  1  28,  21  ;  cf.  29,  14). 

(16)  \'.  5   (with   which   vv.  7   and   S  are   connected)    is  the   exact   antithesis  5 


155  — M«3|gBs.  Qtofi'o  on  I  Jaaia^ -:i:g*So*<—  29,9-30,1 

of  V.  6  (including  the  last  words  of  v.  5,  wrongly  detached  from  \-.  6).  V.  6  29 
says,  in  continuation  of  vv.  2-4,  that  Jhvh  Himself  will  appear  in  a  mighty 
storm  to  visit,  i.  e.  (ly'.  26,14)  to  punish  Jerusalem.  Hitherto  Jerusalem  has 
indeed  been  reduced  to  great  straits,  but  only  by  earthly  enemies ;  now  sud- 
5  denly,  full  suddenly  (</•  30,  13)  a  superhuman  foe  will  deal  irremediable  ruin  to 
his  own  Altar-hearth  city.  This  stern  announcement  was  too  painful  for  men 
of  a  later  age,  who  had  done  their  best  to  make  Jerusalem  a  fit  dwelling- 
place  for  Jhvh.  The  writer  therefore  inserted  promises  of  the  destruction  of 
the  enemies,  which  involved  a  different  interpretation  of  v.  6  ( visited  in  mercy, 
10  as  23 ,  17). 

(17)  The   imperative    is    here    equivalent    to    a    strong    future.     When   Sen-  9 
nacherib   shall    have    come,    the   rulers   will    be    shaken    out   of   that    deep  sleep 
which  Jhvh   has  poured   upon    tliem    (v.   10).     They   will  stare   in   astonishment 
at  the   work   of  God    (Hab.  1,5),  to   the  significance  of  which   they  are  wilfully 

15  and  yet,  in  part,  judicially  blinded.  They  will  lose  all  self-command,  having 
drunk  God's  staggering  wine  (Ps.  60,3). 

(18)  See  Isaiah,  chapter  30,  verses  i  and  2.  15 

(19)  A  discourse    addressed    to    persons    in    all    respects    diametrically  the  16 
opposite   of  the   audience   of  Isaiah.     Alike    in    tone,    in  style,   and   in    ideas,    it 

20  is  beyond  doubt  the  work  of  a  later  age.  Isaiah  lived  chiefly  in  the  present, 
and  only  paints  the  future  with  a  few  vigorous  touches,  to  stimulate  himself 
and  his  disciples  to  more  heroic  effort.  The  Second  Isaiah  and  his  successors, 
however,  who  had  little  or  no  contact  with  public  life,  lived  largely  in  the 
future,   and  corrected  the   faults   of  their    doubting    countrymen   (r/^  49,  14-26) 

25  by  calling  up  visions  of  the  coming  golden  age.  V.  16  reminds  us  of  45,9; 
V.  19a  'of  passages  of  the  Psalms  ;  and  v.  24,  of  the  introduction  to  Proverbs. 
There  are  also  points  of  contact  both  with  Isaianic  and  with  other  non-Isaianic 
portions  of  cc.  28-32.  Evidently  the  passage  takes  the  place  of  an  illegible 
portion  of  Isaiah's  work. 

30  (20)    A  slightly   altered    quotation    from   32,15.     In   a   short   time,    says   the  17 

writer,  that  favorite  prophecy  will  be  fulfilled :  Lebanon,  which  now  produces 
vines  only  on  its  slopes,  will  then  bear  them  even  on  its  highest  points, 
while  the  land  which  already  bears  vines  and  other  noble  trees  will  then 
produce    them    in    still    greater   abundance   so   as   to   resemble   a   forest.      To   a 

35  regenerate  people  choicer  and  nobler  growths  w-ill  attest  the  sympathy  of  nature 
and  nature's  God.     Cf.  note  48  on  32,  15. 

(21)  Compare  chapter  59,  verse  4  (post-Exilic).  21 

(22)  Abraham,   according    to    a    late    belief,    was    persecuted   in   L'r  of   the  22 
Chaldees.     The  writer,    like  the    Second   Isaiah   (Is.  41,8;   51,2),    thinks   niucli 

40  of  Abraham.     This  is  a  sure  mark  of  a  late  date  (see  Mic.  7,  20). 

(23)  i.  e.   the    divine  judgment   (v.  20).     Jacob  here  =  Israel.     Change  of  23 
number,  as  in  42  ,  24  .  25. 

(24)  C.  18,    as   we    shall    see,    probably   refers    to    an    embassy   of   Taharqa  30,1 
(or    Tirhakah)    to    Hezekiah ;    cc.    30.31    may    refer    to    a     prior    embassy    of 

45  Hezekiah  to  this  vigorous  Ethiopian  suzerain  of  Egypt  (for  whose  history  ef. 
note  on  18,1).  Taharqa  (704-6S5)  did  not  indeed  put  down  the  petty  kings 
of  Egypt  (who  are  spoken  of  by  Sennacherib  in  701  as  having  taken  part  in 
the  battle  of  Altaqil),  and  Isaiah  seems  therefore  at  first  to  have  underesti- 
mated Taharqa's  capacity  for  giving  substantial  support  to  an  ally  (see  on  v.  4). 

50  The  unhappy  story  of  Ashdod   (see   on  c.  20)   was    in    fact  reason  enough   for 


30,4-28  — **e!ggss- (UofcB  on  1  ']eixia^ -i&itf^*^ —  156 

di)ul)tin^-  the  solidity  of  Egyptian  promises.  In  a  few  weeks  Isaiah  learned  30 
to  know  Taharqa  better.  Hence  the  more  respectful  tone  of  the  declaration 
'■1  31.3  isee  note).  It  is,  therefore,  the  invasion  of  Sennacherib  (.701),  now 
in  the  near  future,  which  has  produced  this  important  group  of  prophecies. 
5  Jerusalem  is  in  danger  of  becoming  in  a  new  sense  the  a!tar-/!caii/i  city. 
No  diplomacy  can  avert  this. 

(25)  Zoan    (now    Qin,    a    dreary   fishing   village  near   Lake   Mc'iizaleh)    and  4 
Hanes    (now,    probably,    Henassicli,    twelve    miles    west   of   Beni(ucf)    were   in 
times   of   jjolilical   confusion   the   seats  of  independent    kingdoms    (see   note   on 

10  19.  II  ).  Of  Taharqa  the  prophet  says  that  he  ruled  directly  as  far  as  Hanes, 
and  indirectly  even  as  far  north  as  Zoan.  The  sense  will  be  much  the  same 
if,  with  Brl'GSCH  and  N.\ville,  we  look  for  Hanes  in  the  Delta.  For  the 
suzerain  would,  of  course,  send  messengers  to  his  vassals,  though  these  mess- 
engers would  use   a   gentler  st\le  than    those  who   bore  the  royal  commands  to 

15  immediately  subject  districts  ycf.   Nah.  2,  13 j. 

(26)  Isaiah   dwells   upon   the   dangers   of  the   desert    between   Palestine   and  6 
E.gypt    {cf.  Deut.  8,15-,    Jer.  2,6),    to    magnify    the    folly    of   the    ambassadors. 
The   wild   beasts  spoken   of  suggested    to    an    early   reader    the   title  Oracle  on 
the   Beasts  of  the  South-land ;    which   at  length   inade   its   way  from   the   margin 

20  into  the  te.xt.  For  \'n&  flying  dragon,  see  on  14,29.  The  South-land  referred 
to  in  the  heading,  which  the  editor  probably  prefi.xed  to  this  brief  fragment,  is 
Egypt  (</.  Uan.  8,9;  li,5ff-)- 

(27)  Verses    1-5  and   6.7  were   originally  two   independent  oracles   on   the  7 
journey  of   the  ambassadors   of  Judah   to   Egypt.      The   people    referred    to    in 

25  \'.  6  was  e.xplained  in  the  margin  to  mean  Egypt,  and  the  note  made  its  way 
into  the  text.  The  second  gloss  may  be  due  to  the  same  writer,  who  loved 
obscure  symbolical  names  [cf.  Jer.  46,17).  Rahab  is  a  late  symbolical  name 
for  Egypt  derived  from  the  old  Babylonian  myth  of  the  fight  between  -Marduk 
(iMerodach),  the  Sun-God,  and  Tiamat,  the  Dragon,  which  represented  Darkness 

30  and  Chaos  I  p.  157).  To  an  Israelite  it  was,  of  course,  not  Marduk  but  the  true 
creative  deity  (Jhvh)  who  quelled  or  put  to  silence  the  evil  dragon  (51,9;  Pss. 
87,4;   89,  10).     To  the  same  writer  may  be  due  the  enigmatical  heading  1  v.  6). 

(28)  Consolations  and   encouraging  promises   in   the  style  of  29,  16-24  and  18 
the   later  prophecies.      Therefore   (v.  1.8)    is   parallel   to   the   therefore   of   29,22. 

35  The  passage  w^hich  it  introduces  will  not  cohere  with  30,15-17,  and  was  evi- 
dently written  to  follow  29,  16-24. 

I  29 1    In   post-Exilic  times,  when  the  old   race  of  prophets   was  extinct,  God  20 
was    sijecially   regarded    as    a    teacher.      See  e.g.    Pss.  25 ,  5  .  8  .  9.  14 ;    94,12; 
119,  12.26,  &c.,  and  cf.  Is.  2,3  (a  late  passage);  54,  13  (disciples  of  jHi'n). 
40  (30)    Lower  cults  are   not   unfrequently   referred    to   in   post-Exilic   additions  22 

to  the  Book  of  Isaiah  (see  2,  20;   17,  8;  31 ,  7  ;  44,  9-20 ;  46,  6-S;  65,  3-5.  11  ; 
66,  3.  17). 

(31)   Cf.  Ezek.  38,20-22.  (32)  Perhaps  alluding  to  2,  15.   25 

(33)  This  striking  passage  is  not  by  the  author  of  the  preceding  section,  27 
45  l)ut  is  nevertheless  not  Isaianic.     The  argument  is  too  elaborate  to  be  given  here, 

but  any  one  can  see  that  the  passage  does  not  fit   in  well  with    the  undoubtedh- 
genuine  parts  of  these  chapters. 

(34)  A   phrase   found   nowhere   in   the   undoubted   parts  of  Isaiah.     Name  = 
manifestation  inninen);  cf.  note  on  Lev.  24,  11. 

50  (35)   A   figure    taken    from    hunting   (Ezek.  19,4;   29,4),    possibly   with   an  28 

allusion    to    a    cruel    practice   of   conquerors    (see    on    37,29).     C- 59,19;    I's. 


157 


s-es^is-  (llotce  on  I  36aia8  -igSj|s*<- — 


30, 29    31,3 


102,16,    and   sucli    late    descriptions   of   theuphanies    as    63,19-64,1;    Mali.  3 ;  30 
Pss.  50.3;  97  •  3-5- 

1361    The    joyous    Feast    of  Tabernacles   is   meant   [cf.  on  29,11;    it  seems  29 
already  to  have  opened  with  a  preliminary  nightly  vigil. 
5  (371   This   verse   is   no   longer    in    its    original    form.      The   ideas,    however,  32 

are  appropriate.  The  Assyrians  are  first  paralyzed  b\'  the  dreadful  thunder- 
peals, and  then  slain  by  the  lightning,  which  is  compared  to  the  liftin;.;  of 
Ihvh's  invisible  arm  \c/.  19,  16;   11,  151. 


FIGHT    BETWEEN    MERODACH    ANT)    THE    DRAGON. 


13S)   Another  image.     The  former  one  related  to  the  whole  Assyrian  army;  Zi 

10  the   i^resent  one  relates  to    the   kin,g  of  Assyria.     For  so  great  a   man  a   deep 

and   wide   trench   is -excavated ;    it   is   filled   with   wood,    and   lighted   as   it   were 

with     burning    brimstone.       Into    this    fiery    pit    I  called    a    tophetli.    or    perhaps 

tcphclh )    the   king  of  Assyria   is   thrown,   just   as   at    the   annual    festivals   of  the 

god    Melkart   (  =  King  of  the  City)  at  Tyre,   human   victims   were   offered.     Not 

15  that    the   Assyrian   king   is  a  sacrifice.      The   description   is   figurative,    and   it   is 

the   terrific  grandeur   of  the   spectacle  of  a  human  holocaust  which  is  the  point 

of  comparison.     Sennacherib,   the  impious  rival  of  Jhvh,  shall  at  any  rate  have 

no  ignoble  death.     Such   at   least   is   the  view   expre.ssed   by  Robertso.n   .Smith 

(Religion   of  the    Semites'',    p.    372,    cf.   p.   377).      Very   possibly,    however,    the 

20  description   is   not  altogether  figurative.     The   reference   to  the  king  occurs  in  a 

gloss.      The  carcasses    of   the    entire  Assyrian   host  are    perhaps    described    as 

burned,    .as   a   sign   of  their   being   under  the   divine   wrath    (Lev.  20,14;    21,9; 

Josh.  7.  15). 

(391  The  promises  of  E,gy|3t  are  not  mere  braggadocio  (see  on  c.  30,  3^1 3 
25  note  I),  but  her  attempt  to  help  Judah  is  doomed  to  failure.  Between  v.  3 
and  V.  4  something  must  have  fallen  out  of  the  text,  and  there  is  critical 
reason  to  think  that  the  omission  has  been  produced  by  some  injury  to  the 
prophetic  scroll,  which  began  at  the  last  line  of  v.  3.  and  also  extended  to  v.  6 
(part),    V.  7,  and  v.  8  (part).     The  insertion   in  verses  S^.ga   may   be   from   some 


31.9-33.  I  -^*g3t*S;->  (It o<cB  on  I  3oiH>j6  ■sS^"o<«—  158 

lost   tMily    |ii()|)lKcy,   but   its   sciisu   is  obscure.     Tht-   other   insertions   are   partly  31 
a   mosaic   of  borrowed    phrases,    partly   in    the    style   of   tlie    late    inserted   pas- 
sages  10  ,  20  ;   2  ,  20  ;   30  ,  22. 

(40)  I'irc   (,Heb.  uv)  evitlently   alludes  to  the   meaning   of  Aria/,  the   name  9 
5  given    to    Jerusalem   in   29 ,  i  ;    the    U\o   uonls    were    connected    by   a    popular 

etymology.  The  Jire  is  not  that  of  the  visible  sacrificial  altar,  but  of  an 
invisible  one,  real  to  the  eye  of  faith  (see  on  29,  i).  So  a  SDioking  fiiniace  awA 
a.  Jlanu!!!^  torch  are  symbols  of  the  divine  presence  to  Abraham  (Gen.  15,  17). 

(41)  A   reflective    and    didactic   treatment  of   the    Messianic    theme   by  one  32,1 
10  of   those    literary   wise    men    to   whom    the    Book    of    Proverljs    in    its    present 

form   is   due.      He   wished   to  provide  the  small   book,   which  begins  with  c.  28, 
with    a    prophecy   corresponding   to   9,6.7,    but   he  lives   in    darker   times,    and 
hence   his   conception   lacks   distinctness    (cf.  33.17).     His  personal   interest   lies 
chiefly  in  moral  progress. 
15  (42)  The  meaning  of  ethical  terms  will  be  revised,  /.  c,  conventional  morality  5 

w'ill  give  place  to  true  morality. 

(43)  Probably   this   warning  to   the  fine  ladies  of  Jerusalem  and  to  the  riti-  9 
zens   in  general    (with  the    Messianic  appendi.x)  originally  followed   c.  31.      It   is 
evidently   suggested   by  3,16-4,1,   which  precedes  a  great  Messianic  prophecy; 

20  it  has  phraseological  points  of  contact  with  cc.  28-31,  but  not  with  32,  r-8. 
It  represents  what  a  post-Exilic  editor  thought  Isaiah  would  be  likely  to  have 
written. 

(44)  Alluding  to  chapter  39,  verse  i'>.  10 
(45')    /.  c.  the   southeast  slope   of  the   mountain  on  whicli  the  Temple  stood  14 

25  (r/.   .Mic.  4,S).  (46)    C".  42,  14;  57,  II  ;  58,  12. 

(47)  This   passage   is   marked   by   a   diflerent   rhythm.     Its  commencement  is  15 
incomplete,  iiiitil  having  probably   been  inserted  by  the  latest  editor  to  connect 
this   with   the   preceding  passage.     The    prophecy   is   in   the   wider  sense   Messi- 
anic, and  seemed  well  fitted   to  conclude  a  prophetic  collection.     Cf.  30,  iS-26. 

30  (48)    What  is  now  wild   moorland   or   pasture-land  will  then  become  so  fer- 

tile that  vines  and  olive-trees  will  grow  in  it,  and  grow  so  thickly  that  it  will 
seem  like  a  forest.  Not  that  there  will  be  no  free  and  open  pasture-land  (see 
V.  20),  but  this  (it  is  to  be  understood)  will  be  reclaimed  from  the  desert. 
Thus  the  area   of  useful  land  will   be  indefinitely  extended  (f/.  4,2).     Compare 

35  the  parallel  passage,  29,  17. 

(49)  The  golden  age   of  agriculture    (I'f.  30,23-25).  20 

(50)  The  language  and   ideas   of  this  chapter  are  not  those  of  Isaiah,  but  33,  i 
of   a   later  writer,    who    has   absorbed   much    besides   Isaiah,    and   is  a   contem- 
porary   of    the    Psalmists,    into    whose    style    he    frequently    falls.      The    author 

40  imaginatively  places  himself  in  the  time  of  Sennacherib's  invasion  [cf.  Psalms 
46  and  48),  and  endeavors  to  write  as  Isaiah  would  then  have  written,  though 
it  is  probable  that  he  is  also  thinking  of  the  sufferings  endured  by  his  people  in 
post-Exilic  times,  when  Persian  armies  were  not  infrequent  visitors  in  Palestine. 
His  composition   is  strongly  apocalyptic.     It  discloses  the  fate   of  the  assembled 

45  hostile  nations,  of  which  the  later  prophets  speak  (see  Ezek.  38.39;  Is,  66, 
6-24;  Joel  3,2;  Zech.  14,2),  and  of  which  the  hosts  of  Sennacherib  (705-681  I 
or  of  Ochus  (359-338)  are  forerunners.  In  form,  it  is  the  prayer  or  meditation 
of  the  later  Jewish  community  which  is  in  the  main  righteous,  from  a  legal  point 
of  view,  diough   it   still   includes   sinners   (v.   14)    who   are   to   be  destroyed   (cf. 


159  — »*^esSs- (Jlotca  on  I  3oaia^ -s53*^s*<^ —  33,7-22,22 

many   of  the   Psalms),  and   craves   for   a  full  visible  assurance  that  its  sins  have  33 
been   forgiven.     Nothing   is   said   of  the   Messiah,   who  appears  only  sporadically 
in   the   later   literature   of  the   Old   Testament.      Jhvh   is   all   in   all    to   the   wor- 
shipers,   and    the   gloss   on   v.  20,    though   it   interrupts   the   conte.xt,    not   untruly 
5  makes  the  glory  of  Zion  consist  in  its  solemn  religious  assemblies. 

(51)  If   the    writer    dramatically  assumes  the    position    of   Isaiah,    we  may  7 
e.xplain  by  2   Kings   18,14-16.     Hezekiah's   tribute  has  been  paid,  but  Senna- 
cherib   (as  the    writer    infers    from    2  Kings  18,17)    perfidiously    continues    his 
ravages.     The   Arie/s  means  the  Jewish  warriors.     The  author  probably  alludes 

10  to  29,  I,  where  he  reads  Ariel  (instead  of  Aria  I),  and  interprets  the  term  to 
mean  God's  lion,  a  designation  which  would,  of  course,  be  equally  suitable  for 
a  fortified  city  and   for  a  warrior. 

(52)  Sharon    is    the    Maritime    Plain    between    Carmel     and    Joppa.      The  9 
Arabah    is   the   deep  and    desolate   valley   of   the  Jordan,    the   southern   part  of 

15  which  still  retains  its  ancient  name.  Bashan,  noted  for  its  forests  of  oak,  is  a 
region  in  Eastern  Palestine  lying  N.  and  NE.  of  Gilead.  Caniiel  is  that  noble 
mountain-ridge  at  the  SW.  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  which  juts  out  into  the 
sea  at  the  south  end  of  the  Bay  of  Acre.  Its  deep  jungles  of  copse  are  very 
noticeable. 

20  (53)    The   supernatural   phenomena   of   the  judgment  terrify   the   guilty   con-  14 

sciences  of  faithless  Israelites.  The  writer  supposes  the  everlasting  fire  of  God 
to  have  become  visible  for  the  protection  of  the  good,  and  for  the  destruction 
of  the  wicked.     Cf.  4,5.     The  passage  31  ,  gb  is  not  altogether  parallel. 

154)    A    reference    to    the    Messianic    king.     But    what  a  vague   one!    The  17 

25  writer  can  only  have  known  of  Israelitish  kings  from  books;  f/^  32,1.  He  is 
inconsistent,  too;  for  he  cannot  help  showing  us  that  the  true  king  of  Zion  to 
him  is  Jhvh  (v.  23);  cf.  Mic.  4,9;  Ps.  48,2  (post-Exilic). 

(55)  The   kingdom   of  David   will   be   restored   within   its   ancient   limits  (cf. 
on  26 ,  15). 

30  156)    Cf.    Ps.  46,4    (post-Exilic):    \^His   lovinffkiiidnrss    «]    a    riz'cr,    zcliose  21 

branchings  make  glad  the  city  of  God.  Thfe  eye  of  faith  looked  beyond  the 
waters  of  Shiloah  that  floiv  softly  (8,6;  see  note )  to  the  '  living '  waters  ( Zech. 
14,8).  These  were  a  surer  protection  than  the  broad  streams  which  were  the 
glory    of  Babylon,    Nineveh,    and    Memphis.       The   gloss   on   v.  21    consists   of  a 

35  quotation  from  some  poem  (cf.  Ezek.  27,26-36)  in  which  some  great  nation  in 
•its  decline  is  compared  to  a  wrecked  ship. 

(57)  Then,    viz.    when  Jhvh   interposes  to   deliver.     Spoil,  cf.  9,6:   Father  21 
of  Spoil. 

(58)  Disease  being  a  sign  of  God's  wrath;  cf.  Exodus  23,25.  24 

(Itofce  on  (propBccp  14. 

(pp.  40.41) 

(i)  The  only  personal  invective  in  Isaiah.     It  is  probable   that  Shebna  was  22  ,  15^ 
of  Syrian   origin,  and   that    he   was   a    leader    of   the    party    which    favored    an 
alliance   with   Egypt  against   Assyria.     Isaiah's   invective  against  him  may  there- 

45  fore  synchronize  with  the  prophecies  against  that  alliance  (cc.  30.31).  Shebna 
will  be  one  of  the  wily  politicians  referred  to  in  30,  12.  In  36,  2-37,  7  Eliakim 
is  governor  of  the  palace,  and  Shebna  in  the  less  important  post  of  secretary. 

(2)   The   key  is   the  sign   of  authority;    hence   it  is   solemnly  given   to   the  22 
new   royal   minister.      It    is   laid  upon  his  shoulder  as  being  burdensome,   like 

50  the  office  he  holds.  The  keys  of  the  Israelites  were  doubtless  not  unlike  those 
still   used  in  Syria  and  Egypt.     Here  is  a  drawing  of  a  key  and  of  a  merchant 


i8, 


(Tlofco  on  I  38aia5  «e@*6»«-«^ 


160 


of  Cairo   carrying   his   l<t-ys,    from    BoNO.Ml,    A'incve/i   and  Us  pa/ocfs.      I3onomi  22 
states  tliat  the  key  of  an  ordinary  street-door  is  commonly  13  or  14  inehes  long, 
and  the  l<ey  of  the  gate  of  a   public  building,   or   of  a   street,   or   quarter  of  a 
town,  is   two  feet  and  more  in  length.     The  iron  pegs  at  one  end   of  the  piece 
5  of  wood  correspond  to  as  many  holes  in  the  wooden  bar  of  the  lock. 


ORIENTAL    KEV. 


Qtotee  on  (prop^ccf  15. 


(pp.  41 --i^) 

(i)   The   revival   of  Egyptian   prosperity   under   Shabaka   (72S),    the   founder  18,  i 
of  the  25'h   dynasty,  was  of  brief  duration.     In  720  the   Egyptian  king  sustained 
10  a  severe   defeat  at  the   hands   of  the   Assyrians  at  Raphia,  and  soon  afterwards 
died    in    Upper    Egypt.      He    was    succeeded    in    •7161    by    his    son    Shabataka, 


whose  authority  was  how- 
ever diminished  by  the  re- 
vival   of  the    ancient  petty 

15  principalities,  and  who  was 
displaced,  probably  in  704, 
by  Taharqa  (Tirhakah). 
This  young  and  energetic 
prince     (at     first     king     of 

20  Ethiopia  alone)  owed  his 
title  to  his  mother  who  was 
of  the  old  royal  family,  and, 
according  to  P  E  T  R  i  E,  a 
sister  of  Shabaka.     He  also 

25  strengthened  his  position  by 
marrying  the  widow  of  Sha- 
baka, whose  son  Rutamen 
(the  Urdamane  of  the  As- 
syrian inscriptions)  reigned 

30  jointly  with  Taharqa,  and 
after   Taharqa's    defeat    by 


MERCHANT  CARRYING 

HIS    KEYS. 


Assurbanipal  (about  666) 
remained  king  of  I-"thiopia. 
It  should  be  remembered 
that  all  the  kings  here  men- 
tioned belonged  to  the  25'h 
or  Ethiopian  dynasty.  The 
particular  king  of  whom 
Isaiah  is  thinking  is  Ta- 
harqa. From  cc.  29-31 
we  learn  that  Hezekiah  had 
great  hopes  of  assistance 
from  Egypt  at  this  time  in 
his  projected  revolt  from 
Assyria ;  an  embassy  ap- 
pears to  have  been  dis- 
patched from  Jerusalem  to 
secure  the  co-operation  of 
Taharqa.  Later  on,  in  702, 
when  Sennacherib  had 
taken  the  field   to  chastise 


Phoenicia,   Philistia,   and  Judah,  Taharqa  (as  we   may  gather  from  c.  18)  himself 
sent  amba.ssadors   to  Jerusalem  to  announce  the  despatch  of  an  Egyptian  army, 
and  to  encourage  Hezekiah  to  make  a  manful  resistance  to  the  invaders.     Isaiah 
35  courteously  bids  them  return  (v.  3);  Jhvh  needs  not  human  aid. 

(2)  The  flies  of  Ethiopia,  with  the  metallic  clang  of  their  wings,  are  a 
symbol  of  the  swarming  and  warlike  population  of  that  country,  which  has 
lately  become  famous  through  the  victorious  careers  of  Piankhi,  Shabaka,  and 
Taharqa  (all  of  them  natives  of  Ethiopia).     This  at  least  is   the  most   plausible 

40  explanation   of  a   difficult  phrase.     The  Septuagint  seems  to  have  found  a  refer- 
ence to  boats  (see  note  3).     But  the  grounds  of  this  explanation  are  unknown. 

(3)  The  sea  is  the   Nile   (19,5;  (ob  41,23),   which   is  still   called   the  sea  2 
in   Arabic.     Canoes    of   reed,  as   in   Job   9,26.     Isis,  seeking   for  the   torn   frag- 
ments of  the  botly  of  Osiris,  is  said  to  have  traversed  Egypt  in  a  papyrus  boat 

45  (Plutarch,   On  /sis  and  Osiris,  c.  18).     Such  light   canoes  are  still  in  use  on  the 
Nile.      In  the   Meuioii-es  du   Due  de  Rovigo   (1,94)    a   fellah,    entrusted   with   a 


i6i 


-»-HsJsas-  (Uotca  on  I  3ea">6  -«S*Tse 


18.3 -I.  9 


letter,  binds  two  haiidfuls  of  reeds   together,    and   starts  on   this   frail   bark   with  18 
his    lance    and    a   little    oar.      It    is   a    more    elaborate    vessel    made    of    reeds, 
which  Herodotus  (2,96)  describes  and  Egyptian  paintings  represent. 
(4)  Isaiah  is  conscious  that  the 
5  whole  world  is  interested  in  the  fate 
of  Jerusalem,  and  conceives  that  a 
notice  will   be  supernaturally  given 
of  the  approach  of  the  great  crisis 
(f/.  11,12). 

10  (5)  As   we   have  already  seen, 

it  was  within  the  province  of  the 
later  editors  to  supplement  the  relics 
of  prophecy,  and  adapt  them  to  the 
wants  of  their  own  time.     This  last 

15  verse  is  not  rhythmical,  like  the  fore- 
going prophecy,  and  the  hope  ex- 
pressed in  it  by  the  editor  was  not  one  congenial  to  Isaiah  (cf.  23,  i.S; 
&c.;  Ps.  68,  29). 


EGVPT1.\N    C.\XOE. 


60, 


Qlefee  on  (proyBecp  16. 

(pp.  42-441 

( I )    Originally    intended    as    the   heading    of   the    first    large    collection    of  i ,  i 
Isaianic   prophecies,  cc.  1-12.      The   term   vision    for   prophecy   held   its   ground 
till   quite   late   times   ( Dan.  9 ,  23 ;  i  Chr.  7,15).     The   prophecy   consists   of  four 
vigorous   prophetic  speeches,   which  have  lost  none  of  their  fervor  through  con- 

25  densation.  They  were  delivered  during  the  great  crisis  of  the  invasion,  and 
are  here  skilfully  combined,  and  preceded  by  a  specially  written  introduction 
(vv.  1-4).  All  doubtless  Isaiah's  work,  except  perhaps  vv.  2-4  which  at  any 
rate  proceed  from  I.saiah's  school. 

I  2  )  In  vv.  5 .  6  the  nation  is   represented   as  a  magnified  man  in  accortlance  5 

30  with  a  primitive  mode  of  thought.  Cf.  Ex.  4,22;  Num.  20,14;  Hos.  6,4;  7.9; 
II,  I  ;  13,  I  .  13;  Is.  43,  27;  46,3,4;  48,8;  Pss.  25,  7;  71,5.6.  17.  IS;  102,23. 
24;  129,  I  .  2.  The  heart  of  the  nation  is  again  referred  to  in  6,  lo;  ef.  i  Kings 
18,37;  Ps.  51,  10. 

{3)    See  38,8    (late);  36,1;    and  cf.  the   Prism-Inscription    of  Sennacherib:  7 

35  And  as  for  Hczekiah,  the  Judahite,  who  had  not  siih>iiilted  to  my  yoke,  forty- 
si.v  of  his  strong  cities,  his  fortresses,  and  the  smaller  tozcns  in  their  neigh- 
borhood without  number  .  .   .   .   I  besieged,   I  captured. 

{4)  Lit,    the  daughter  Zion.      Countries,    cities,    and    their    populations    are  8 
represented   as  women  {ef.  10  ,  32  ;  16,  i .  2  ;  22,  4  ;  23,  12  ;  37,  22  ;  47  ,  i  ;  52  ,  2  ; 

40  62,  11).  Compare  the  phrase  a  city  and  a  Diother  in  Israel  (2  Sam.  20, 19).  If 
the  city  is  a  mother,  the  citizens  are  her  sons.  But  the  connection  between 
a  city  and  its  inhabitants  being  so  close,  it  is  also  possible  to  apply  the  term, 
which  properly  belongs  to  the  city,  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  city. 

(5)  Jerusalem,    as    yet    unbesieged,    is    like    the   temporary   shelters   for  the 
45  field-watchmen,    so  solitary,    so   helpless   is   it!     See   24,20;    27,3;    Job   27,18. 

The  illustration  on  the  following  page  will  give  an  idea  of  the  slightness  of  the 
construction  of  these  shelters,  and  the  exposure  to  weather  which  tlieir  occu- 
pants had  to  undergo. 

(6)  Notice  the   hesitation    witli    which   the   prophet  introduces  a  reference  to  9 
50  Sodom.     The   cities  of  the  plain   were   under  the   di\ine   curse.     Even   if  Jeru- 
salem   had    been    captured,    Isaiah's    people    would    still    only    be    almost    like 
Sodom  ;  at  any  rate,   Isaiah  is  too  considerate  to  sav  more. 


I,  lo-  iS 


-^*«^Si5i-  (Hoti-o  on  1  36aia6  o*;^eM-.< 


162 


(7)  Sodom,   it   would   set-m,   was  much  in  Isaiali's  tliouglits  at  tliis  time.     In  i, 
the   first  of  the   discourses   here   condensed   he   hardly   ventured  to  compare  the 
outward   state  of  his  country  to   that  of  Sodom ;    in   the   second,  he   boldlv  apo- 
strophizes the  magnates  as  chieftains  of  Sodom.     Their  crowning  sin  is  injustice  ; 
5  (/.  the  Arabic  pro\erb :  I\rorc  unjust  than  a  cadi  of  Sodom. 

(S)  The   priests   and   prophets  gave   oral   directions  (tordt/i)  in   the   name  of 

Ihvh  to  those  who  consulted  them.     Being  superior  to  the   ordinary  judges,  it 

was   open   to   them   to   interpose  with   rebukes   when  the  judges   neglected  their 

duty.     Hence  Isaiah  can  insist  on  attention  being  paid  to  the  insfructio?i  (tordli) 

10  which  follows. 


TEMPORARY   SHELTER    FOR    FIELD-WATCHMEN. 


(9)    Isaiah,    like   his   best-known  fellow-prophets   ( Am.  5 ,  2j  -  24 -,    Hos.  6,6),   11 
cares  not  at  all   for  sacrifices,  w-hich  have  become  a  positive  hindrance  to  sound 
morality.     The   abundance  of  the   sacrifices  can   be  accounted   for  by  the  fear  of 
Assyria  (cf.  Am.  5.21-24  with  vv.  15.  18). 

15  (10)  The  expression   to  see  Jhi'H'S  face  evidently  comes  from  a  time  when  12 

the  protective  deity  was  supposed  to  dwell  in  an  image  or  in  some  other 
sacred  object.  The  only  such  object  historically  known  to  us  in  the  sanctuary 
at  Jerusalem  is  the  Ark,  which  however  was  withdrawn  from  the  general  view, 
when   the    Tabernacle  (tent)  gave   place  to  a  temple  with  its  distinction  between 

20  the  holy  place  and  the  holy  of  holies.  The  phrase  to  see  JHVH  meant  therefore 
at  Jerusalem  to  look  towards  the  place  where,  behind  a  veil,  the  sacred  object 
rested.  Later  students  of  Scripture  found  the  phrase  irre\'erent,  and  modified 
the  Hebrew  so  as  to  make  it  mean  to  appeal-  before  Jhvh. 

(11)   Important  for  the  history  of  cultus.     New  moon  and  sabbath   are  here  13 

25  on  the  same  level;  see  i  Sam.  20,5.6;  2  Kings  4,23;  Am.  8,5;  Hos.  2,  11 
(13).  For  the  calling  of  assemblies,  see  Lev.  23  (which,  though  late,  contains 
ancient  elements);  for  the  (public)  fasting,  Jud.  20,26;  i  Sam.  7,6;  31,13; 
2  Sam.  I  ,  12  ;  I  Kings  21,9.  12;  for  the  solemn  meeting.  Am.  5,21,  2  Kings 
10 ,  20. 

30  (12)  If  in  the  opening  verses  we  seem  to  hear  the  voice  of  Hosea,  in  this  17 

passage  and  in  its  context  we  catch  an  echo  of  the  strains  of  Amos  (see 
Am.  5). 

(13)   This   appeal   may  seem   to   allude   to  v.  2,   which   is,    at   fir.st    sight,  the  iS 
introduction  to  a  description  of  a  great  trial.     In   reality,  however,  it  belongs  to 

35  a  separate  discourse  and  a  separate  period. 


163  — »*ss|«sc- (Uofco  on  I  Jeata^  ■sissgs**^^ —  1,21-22,1 

(14)  How  this  can  be  effected  we  learii  from  vv.  19.20.      A   change  of  life  I 
would   avert   the   threatened   pniiishment.     There   is   a   glance  at   the   ravages   of 
the  Assyrian  soldiery. 

(15)  Verses    21-26  form  an  elegy;    the   rhythm    is    peculiar,    and    the    first  21 
5  word  is  the  same  which  opens  Lam.  1.2.4,  ^"d  forms  the  Hebrew  title  of  the 

Book  of  Lamentations. 

(16)  A  very  characteristic  play  upon  words.  23 

(17)  Lit.    whisper.      It   was    as    if   the    prophet    heard    within    iiim,     gently  24 
uttered   by  a   spirit,   that    which   he    alone    could    interpret.      See    on   28,9-12. 

10  The  e.xpression  here  used  (or  the  like)  occurs  12  times  in  Is.  1-39,  and  13 
times  in  Is.  40-66,  and  illustrates  the  obscure  phenomena  of  prophecy.  In 
Jer.  23,31  we  find  the  verb  to  oracle  (thus  justifying  a  phrase  of  our  own 
Milton).  In  the  present  version  says  jHi'ii  is  generally  substituted  for  the 
literal  rendering. 

15  (iS)   Here  the  editor  appended  Prophecy  H  (p.  17).  28 

(Uotee  on  (propBccf  17. 

(pp.  45 ■46) 

( I )    Probably   Isaiah's  last  prophecy.     The    section    is   indeed   of   composite  22 ,  i 
origin,    but   its   two   parts    appear  to    be   derived    from    nearly   contemporaneous 

20  prophecies.  Both  have  the  same  historical  occasion.  We  know  from  Sen- 
nacherib's inscriptions  how  he  shut  up  Hezekiah  like  a  caged  bird  in  Jcru- 
saleiii,  his  royal  city.  Sennacherib  does  not  claim  to  have  captured  Jerusalem, 
but  says :  Fear  of  my  splendid  sovereignty  overpowered  Hezekiah,  and  the 
Arabians  and  his   loyal  subjects   whom   he  had  sent  for  to  strengthen    his  royal 

25  city,  fcrusalem,  forsoolc  their  postsi,  and  closes  with  a  description  of  tlie  large 
and  \aried  tribute  paid  by  Hezekiah.  This  account  is  supplemented  b\'  2  Kings 
18,  14,  wliich  states  that  Hezc.'^iah,  king  of  Jiniah,  sent  to  the  king  of  Assyria 
to  Lachish,  saying:  I  have  offended,  return  from  me;  that  which  thou  puttest 
upon   me   will  I  bear.     And  the  king   of  Assyria   imposed  upon   Hezekiah,   king 

30  of  Judah,  300  [Sennacherib  speaks  of  Soo]  talents  of  silver  and  30  talents  of 
,iCold.  This  is  the  point  of  time  to  which  the  composition  of  both  parts  of 
this  section  may  be  referred.  Heavy  as  is  the  tribute  necessary  to  satisfy 
Sennacherib,  Hezekiah  has  paid  it,  and  orders  have  been  sent  from  Lachish 
for   the   withdrawal   of   the    blockading    force.     The    last   Assyrian    warriors    are 

35  disappearing  from  view,  and  in  the  rebound  from  despair  to  hope  the  citizens 
of  Jerusalem  give  expression  to  the  wildest  joy.  But  all  the  while  they  know 
(this  feature  is  derived  from  the  second  of  the  two  prophetic  fragments),  and 
the  prophet  knows,  that  Assyrian  good  faith  is  not  to  be  implicitly  trusted  — 
to-morrow  we   may  die    (v.   13).     And    Isaiah,    indignant    at    their  impenitence, 

40  assures  them  that  they  will  die  —  that  their  sin  is  indeed  (to  apply  a  much  later 
phrase)  a  "sin  unto  death"  (v.  14);  for  the  captivity  which  awaits  them  is  death 
(C/-  5'  ij-  14 1  to  all  nationalities  which  have  not  the  one  solid  religious  basis. 
In  spite  of  this,  Isaiah  (in  the  first  fragment)  feels  a  deep  patriotic  sorrow  at 
the   irreversible  judgment   on   his  people  (v.  4).     It  should  be  noticed  that  while 

45  in  the  first  part  (vv.  2.3.5)  Isaiah  looks  forward  (in  an  ecstasy),  in  the  second 
(vv.  6-13)  he  looks  backward  to  the  time  immediately  preceding  the  blockade. 
Verses  i .  4 .  14  refer  to  the  present.  Compare,  or  rather  contrast,  20,  1-14  with 
i8,i-6  and  1,2-26.  Isaiah's  moods  changed  in  accordance  with  the  attitude 
of  the   rulers,    and   with   them,    at   least  to  some   e.xtent,   his  view  of  the   future 

50  of  Jerusalem. 


22,;,  -36,1  ^«-*is3i*sjc- (llotoe  on  2  Jeaia^ -iSSi^i-t^  164 

(2)  Is:iiali   liiis   an   inuanl   xision   of    tlie   too   familiar  circumstances   of    the  22 ,  ,1 
capture   of   a   city.     The   defenseless   citizens   are   cut   down    [cf.  on   29,2);    the 
magnates,   uho  have  vainly  sought  to  Hee  {cj.  2  Kings  25,4-7),  are  captured. 

(3)  .Some   part   of  Jerusalem   is   meant,   where   the    wall    was   specially   high,  5 
5  and  therefore  exposed  to  assault. 

(4)  \'erse  6  can  hardly  be  a  complete  description  of  the  besieging  armv.  6 
(,5)    An    Assyrian    province,    probably    not    far    from    Elam ;    {cf.  Am.  1,5; 

9,7;  2  Kings  16,9  (but  the  Hebrew  and  the  Greek  Bibles  disagree). 

(6)  The  capture   of  the  strong  cities  of  Judah  is  compared  to  the  drawing  S 
10  aside  of  the  screen  of  a  sanctuary  (f/.  Ex.  26,36.37;  27,  16). 

(7)  The    arsenal    of  Solomon    (i  Kings   7.2;    10.17).    so    called    from    the 
cellar  columns  on  which  it  rested. 

(8)  Jhvh   called   the   people   of  Jerusalem   either   by   the   prophet,  or  simply  :2 
by    the    stern    voice   of    facts,  to   look   their  condition   in   the   face,    and   not   to 

15  aggravate  their  guilt  by  riotous  jollity  at  the  sacrificial  feasts  (cf.  on  28.7). 
Thus  vv.  12.13  properly  belong  to  Isaiah's  retrospect,  but  if  (as  is  probable) 
this  culpable  self-indulgence  was  repeated  on  the  dearly  bought  departure  of 
the  Assyrians,  they  could  be  applied  to  those  with  whom  Isaiah  expostulates 
in  v.  I. 


P.VKT    II. 

(Itotce  on  (part  2. 

(pp-  47-54) 

fi)    Chapters    36-39    form    a    second    appendix    to    the    prophetic    volume  36,1 
which   consists   of   1.1-33,24.     They   were    taken    by   the   editor   in    a    slightly 

25  abridged  form  from  2  Kings  18,13-20,19,  and  a  comparison  of  the  two  narra- 
tives is  of  some  importance  for  the  text.  The  editor  of  Isaiah  had  a  special 
object  in  taking  them,  viz.,  to  illustrate  and  supplement  cc.  28-33,  which 
were  doubtless  intended  by  the  editor  of  that  section  to  be  referred  to  the 
period   of  Sennacherib's   invasion    (701).     It    is    no    objection   to   this   view   that 

30  the  events  related  in  cc.  38 .  39  belong  probably  to  the  time  of  Sargon 
(722-705);  the  editor,  who  had  no  good  means  of  judging,  thought  otherwise. 
Now,  as  to  the  first  part  of  the  narrative,  viz.  cc.  36  .  37,  analysis  reveals  the 
fact  that  it  is  of  composite  origin.  It  consists  of  two  independent  accounts 
unskilfully    combined    by  the    editor   of    Kings,    from    which    book    the    greater 

35  part  of  cc.  36-39  is  taken  (see  2  Kings  18  ,  13 .  17-20.  19). 

The  most  important  difference  in  the  edition  preserved  in  Isaiah  consists  in 
the  omission  of  2  Kings  18.  14-16,  which  the  editor  of  Is.  1-34  found  difficult 
to  harmonize  with  the  following  narrati\es.  Both  accounts,  though  late  in  their 
present  form,   embody  genuine  Jewish  traditions.     The  drawbacks  are  no  doubt 

40  considerable,  and  the  editor,  through  his  unskilful  combination  of  the  narra- 
tives, has  further  increased  them.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  battle  of  Altaqu 
(701)  wliich  preceded  the  Assyrian  invasion  of  Judah,  and  in  which  the 
Egyptians  were  defeated,  or  of  the  blockade  of  Jerusalem,  or  of  the  tribute 
paid  by   Hezekiah.     In   fact,   an  entirely  erroneous   idea  is  .given  of  the  relation 

45  of  Sennacherib  both  to  Tirhakah  and  to  Hezekiah,  and  the  final  catastrophe 
of  the   Assyrian   army   (encamped   where?)  is   enveloped   in   a   haze  of  mystery. 


]65  -^+^eoas- (Jlo(co  on  2  Jeata^ -!S*t5»*^—  36,3-37.38 

Tht  date  of  the  death  of  Sennacherib  is  also  wrongly  given.  Still,  after  all  36 
deductions,  the  fact  remains  that  Jerusalem  escaped  the  horrors  of  a  storm, 
and  it  is  possible  (though  this  is  not  really  confirmed  by  the  very  dissimilar 
legend  in  Herodotus )  that  the  Assyrian  camp  was  broken  up  in  consequence 
5  of  a  plague.  Of  course,  Sennacherib's  own  account  of  his  western  campaign 
(referred  to  in  the  Notes  on  1,7;  22;  and  on  2  Kings  18 ,  13.  &c.  t  should 
be  carefully  compared  with  the  Biblical  narratives  (  of  which  2  Kings  18,14-16 
forms  the  third  and  the  most  trustworthy).  It  would  seem  as  if  the  editor 
might  have  combined  his  narratives  better   thus:  —  36,1;   38,9<:-35;  36.2-22; 

1037,1-S;  (2  Kings  18,  14-16) ;  Is.  37 ,  36.  In  other  words,  putting  aside  36.1, 
and  37 ,  36,  the  first  and  second  narratives  should  change  places,  if  we  wish 
for  an  account  of  Sennacherib's  invasion  which  is  comparatively  probable  in 
itself,  and  consistent  with  the  Assyrian  inscriptions.  It  should  be  added  that 
the   language  assigned  to  the   actors  in  the   great  drama   shows   frequent   traces 

15  of  literary  art,  and  that  the  prophecies  in  particular  which  are  assigned  to 
Isaiah  should  be  compared,  as  to  their  contents,  with  cc.  18,  1-6,  and  1,2-26; 
22,  1-14  (but  not  c.  18,  which  is  a  late  composition). 

(2)  The  date  of  the   invasion  is   b.  c.  702-701.      It  should  be  remembered 
(though   the   writer  of  this   narrative    does    not    mention   it)   that    Sennacherib's 

20  great  western  campaign  concerned  Phoenicia  and  Philistia  not  less  than  Judah. 
The  insertion  (printed  beneath  the  text)  fi.xing  the  year  as  the  fourteenth  of 
Hezekiah  seems  to  be  due  to  the  editor  of  Kings,  who  supposed  the  events 
of  2  Kings  20  (  =  Is.  38.39)  to  belong  to  the  period  of  the  invasion,  and 
deducted     fifteen     from     the     twenty-nine     years    of    Hezekiah's     reign    on     the 

25  authority  of  38 ,  5.  The  original  narrative,  like  other  sketches  of  the  lives  of 
prophets,  was  probably  deficient  in  chronological  precision. 

(3)  See  note  on  22,  18.     Shebna  has  only  changed  his  office.  3 

(4)  The   writer    recollects   30,3-5.     But    the    Rab-shakeh,    though    it    is    a  6 
late   writer   who   invents  a   speech   for  him,    might   quite    naturally   have   spoken 

30  thus  (see  on  20,6).  The  next  verse  (7)  is  an  interpolation  in  accordance 
with   2  Kings  18,4.5=';   this   section  was  no  doubt  much  read  and  annotated. 

(5)  The   Assyrian   kings   thought   much   of  oracles.     Istar  very   possibly  did   10 
speak   thus   to   Sennacherib,    as   he   believed ;   cf.   her  supposed  oracles  to   Esar- 
haddon    [Records   of  the   Past,    New   Series,   \'ol.   v,   pp.    129    ff  1.       The   writer, 

35  however,  frames  Sennacherib's  message  in  accordance  with  Isaiah's  prophecy  in 

10,5- 

(6)  Lit.  Jeiuish,    the    name    for    the    Hebrew    language    in    the   post-Exilic   11 
period   ((/.   Neh.  13,24).     Aramaic  was  the  great  commercial  language  of  Syria, 
Palestine,  and  Western  Asia  long  before  the  Exile. 

40  (7)    The   interpolated    passage    is    inconsistent    with    v.    10.     The    writer    is   17 

prompted  by  10,  10.  11. 

(8)  Literally   /  will  put   (such)  a  spirit  in   him.     Notice  that  this  prophecy  37, 
is   in    a    less    defiant    tone   than   those   in   the   Second  Xarrative.      I5ut   though 
psychologically  possible,  historically  it  is  impossible.     The  writer,   who  is  ignor- 

45  ant  of  the  battle  of  Altaqi^  (701),  thinks  that  Sennacherib  w-as  afraid  of  Tir- 
hakah.  He  also  seems  to  think  that  no  long  interval  separated  the  western 
campaign  of  Sennacherib  from  his  assassination. 

(9)  Observe,  the    narrative    says    nothing    of    Hezekiah's    tribute,    and    the  8 
editor    has   made   matters   worse    by    his    geographical    slip.      For    Sennacherib, 

50  advancing  southward  from  Ekron  {now  'Aqir),  must  have  taken  Libnah  before 
Lachish,  which  (as  Mr.  Flinders  Petrie's  discoveries  at  Tel  el-Hesy  show) 
was  at  the  extreme  southwest  of  Judah.  and  commanded  the  road  to  Gaza 
and  to  Egypt. 

(10)  See  on   2  Kings  19,36.37  (where  the   words   his  sous   are   omitted   in  38 
55  the  Hebrew  te.xt,  but  not  in  the  Greek  Bible). 


37.'3-38.>S  — ».j*afs*j;t-  QXotcB  on  2  36'^>a5  •«E»^*««i—  i66 

(II)    Evidently    alliKliiig    lu     10.9,    &c.;    c/.  tin.-    iiiti-riu)lati,-d    ])assag"e,    36,  37,13 
iS-20. 

112)  So   Assurbaiiipal,  on   lieariii,^   sinm-   insoltnl   words   of  Tevimnian,  king  15 
of   Elam,  placed  Idinsclf  (see   his   .-liinah)    before  the    exalted  Istar,   zvliile  his 
5  tears  flowed,  and   claimed    her    aid.      Islar   heard  his   si,<,^hs,  and  sent    both   to 
him   and   to  his   seer  a  response  of  peace.     Compare  also  the  dream  of  Sethos 
in  Herod.  2,  141. 

(13)  No  such   strong  statement  of  monotheism  occurs   in   the  works   of  the   16 
prophets  before  Jeremiah  and  the  Second   Isaiah. 
10  (14)    The    editor    omits    the   words    [preserved    in    2  Kings;    ef.   Is.  17,  141:  36 

Aitd  it  came  to  pass  that  night  \cj.  30.29),  just  as  lie  omitted  the  contents  of 
2  Kings  18,14-16,  to  produce  a  simpler  narrative.  hor  no  night  has  been 
nuntiiined   in  the   e.xtant  portions  of  either  document. 

(15)  Obviously   the   passage  ■  which  follows  was  not  originally  intended  as  a  22 
15  prophecy.      It    is   a   grand   poem,   worthy   no    doubt   of    Isaiah  I  if    that    prophet 

wrote  i^oenis),  but,  on  account  of  vv.  26.29,  "o'  rightly  assigned  to  him;  on 
account  of  \ .  26,  because  the  very  same  charge  which  it  brings  against  Senna- 
cherib (  viz.  that  he  did  not  recognize  Jhvh  as  the  source  and  author  of  his- 
tory) is  brought,   in  a  prophecy  of  the  period  of  the  invasion,  against  the  people 

20  of  Jerusalem  (see  22,  11).  Is  it  likely  that  the  prophet  sought  to  comfort 
Hezekiah  by  assuring  him  of  Jhvh's  anger  against  Sennacherib  on  account  of 
a  sin  which,  as  22 .  1 1  states,  Hezekiah's  own  people  had  still  more  flagrantly 
committed?  And  on  account  of  v.  29,  because  the  prediction  which  this  pas- 
sage contains  of  the  peaceful  departure  of  Sennacherib  is  diametrically  opposed 

25  to  what  Isaiah  himself  has  said  in  cc.  18  and  29-31  (see  esp.  18,  6;  30,33). 
The  tone  of  v.  26  suggests  the  period  opened  by  the  work  of  the  Second 
Isaiah,  ulm  (like  the  author  of  Ps.  9,17)  regards  the  nations  ^s  forgetful  of 
God,  and  wlio,  therefore,  reminds  them,  sometimes  in  a  tone  of  surprise,  of 
the   elementary   principles   of    true    religion    (40,21.2,8;    41,41.     X'erses   30-32, 

30  which  lack  the  rhythm  of  the  preceding  poem,  may  be  by  a  different  hand. 

(16)  /.   (■.  the    produce   of   the   grains   which   had   dropped    out    at  the   last  30 
year's  harvest  I  Lev.  25,  11). 

(17)  CC.  38.39  are    misplaced.     According    to    the    editor    of    Kings,    the  38,1 
events   which   they   describe   belong   to  the   period   of  the   invasion,  and    he   has 

35  therefore  inserted  a  verse  (38,6)  which  obviously  refers  to  the  blockade  of 
Jerusalem.  But  in  reality  the  true  date  of  the  events  seems  to  be  not  long 
after  720,  when  (as  we  have  seen  on  14,28)  Merodach-baladan,  who  had  till 
lately  been  simply  the  petty  king  of  Bit-Iakhi  (the  largest  of  the  Chaldean  prin- 
cipalities), but  was  now  the  proud  king  of  Babylon,  defeated  Sargon,  and  raised 

40  the  hopes  of  the  peoples  still  subject  to  Assyria.  The  first  period  of  this  able 
u.surper's  rule  continued  till  710  (his  second  lasted  only  a  few  months).  It  is 
proliable,  therefore,  that  soon  after  the  accession  of  Hezekiah,  Merodach- 
baladan  sent  an  embassy  to  obtain  the  young  king's  support.  If  so,  both  the 
embassy  and  the  illness  of  Hezekiah  occurred  between  715  and  710.     VV.  21  .  22 

45  v\'ere  omitted  by  the  editor  of  Isaiah  (like  some  other  passages),  and  restored 
by  a  later  scribe. 

(18)  It    would    be    useless    to    try    to    harmonize    this   with    2  Kings    18.2.  5 
These  narratives  are  not  taken  from  a  state  chronicle. 

(19)  Based  upon  chapter  37,  verse  35.  6 
50          (20)    For    a    fuller,   but    not    therefore    more    original,  account,    see   2  Kings  8 

20,8-11,  with  the  notes  on  that  section.  It  may  be  remarked  that  great 
obscurity  hangs  over  the  description  of  the  Sun- Dial  of  Aha:  (as   the   familiar 


1 67 


-»4^^Si-  (Jlofce  on  2  Jeata?  -!!g3^*< 


38.9-39. 


English  \'ersion  has  iti.     It  is  easier  to  contradict  received  theories  than  to  set  38 
up  an  altogether   defensible   one   in  their  place.     Ahaz  at  any  rate  was  fond  of 
novelties  I  i  K.  16,  10 1  ;  did  he  obtain  \\\e  fashion  of  the  steps  as  well  as  of  the 
altar  from  Damascus  ? 


5  (21)  Not  found  in   2  Kings.     The  poem  is  full   of   allusions  to   the   Psalter  9 

and  to  Job,  in  both  of  which  books  disease  is  to  be  taken  as  an  allegorical 
e.xpression  for  grievous  national  trouble.  The  speaker  is,  therefore,  the  Church- 
nation  of  Israel  (c/.  Ps.  88  and  Lam.  3  which  also  imitate  Job).  A  later  editor 
needing  a  lyric  illustration  for  the  life  of  Hezekiah,  inserted  it  here  (cf.  the 
10  so-called  Prayer  of  Jonah). 


(22)   Cf.  Job  4,  21 
( 24 )  The     swift 
(  Jer.  8  ,  7)  is  still  one 
of  the   most   notice- 

15  able  birds  at  Jerusa- 
lem ;  its  note  is  'a 
harsh,  constantly  re- 
peated cry,  as  of 
anguish  or  grief.'     A 

20  gloss  has  been  intro- 
duced into  the  Re- 
ceived Text,  which 
disturbs  the  harmony 
of  the   figure.      The 

25  writer  was  no  doubt 
thinking  of  Jer.  8 ,  7, 
where  the  swift  and 


EGVPTI.iN    CR.\NES. 


(23)  Cf.  Job  6,9;  27,8. 
the  crane  are  men- 
tioned together,  but 
not  in  a  context  like 
the  present.  The 
note  of  the  swift  (a 
bird  of  the  swallow- 
tribe)  is  shrill,  that 
of  the  crane  is  a  deep 
trumpet-like  blast. 
How  unlikely  that 
one  of  the  large  birds 
represented  in  the 
paintings  of  Egyptian 
tombs  with  charac- 
teristic naturalness, 
should     have     been 


(26)   Cf  Job  33.  18. 


referred  to  in  the  lamentation  of  a  sick  man ! 

(25)   C/:  Job  5,  17.  iS. 
30  (27)   Cf.  Pss.  6,5;  30,9;  88,  II;   115,  17. 

(28)    C7.  Pss.  22,31;  78,3.4.     Clearly,  it  is  only  national  deliverances  which 
could  be  thus  commemorated. 


( 29 )  Lines  i  and  2  are   in  a   different  rhythm   from   the  poem  itself     \'.  20  20 
is  therefore  a  later  appendix.     The  change  of  person  from  /  to  av  shows  how 
35  the   writer  interpreted   the   poem.     The   musicians   and    singers  I  of  whom   he   is 
one  I  speak  in  the  name  of  the  people. 


(30)  See  note  17,  on  chapter  38,  verse  i.  39.  i 

(31)  What    does    this    mean?     That    Merodach-baladan    would    obtain     the 
imperial    status   of   Sargon,  the   capital   of   his   empire   being   at    Babylon  ?     Xo ; 

40  this   late   writer  belie\'es  that   Isaiah   must  have  foreseen    the   Babylonian   Exile 
((-/.   Mic.  4,10).     He  does  not  seem  to  know  the  tradition  in  2   Kings   18.15. 


15.  1-4  -^>-j-eyft*:>!- (llo(cB  on  3  38'>'i»6 -W*7|i3+>e —  i6S 

I'AKT     III. 

(llofee  on  (pvopBccp  i. 

(PP-  55-57) 

( 1 )  A    composite    work,   the   origin   of    which   is  still   uncertain.     The   main  15 ,  i 
5  part  of   it  is  an   elegy   on   the   havoc   wrought   in   the   land   of  iMoab   l)y   a   vic- 
torious  foe,   i.e.  either  Nebuchadnezzar,   or  Assurbanipal,  or  Jeroboam   II   17X2- 

741 ),  who  regained  in  the  north  and  east  the  territories  which  David  and 
Solomon  had  possessed  (2  Kings  14.25;  cf.  Am.  6.141.  This  poem  reached 
post-E.\ilic  times  in  a   defective  state,  and   the  editor  who  placed   it   among  the 

10  prophecies  of  Isaiah  filled  up  those  parts  which  had  become  illegible  in 
accordance  with  his  own  views.  Here  and  there  he  may  even  have  taken 
phrases  from  true  fragments  of  prophecies  of  Isaiah.  Such  a  fragment  for 
instance  we  may  possibly  have  in  a  part  of  v.  14,  while  v.  13  and  the  opening 
words   of  v.  14   may   have   been   inserted  by   the  editor   to  connect  15,1-16.  12 

15  with  this  relic  of  Isaiah's  work.  The  author  of  the  original  elegy  was  pre- 
sumably a  man  of  Judah,  Init  he  must  have  had  some  connection  with  Moab, 
the  misfortunes  of  which  affect  him  so  profoundly.  He  is  intimately  acquainted 
with  its  topography,  and  it  so  happens  that  at  least  si.\  of  the  names  which 
he  mentions    occur     in    that     valuable    inscription    (commonly    known     as     the 

20  Moabite  Stone)  which  commemorates  the  successful  struggle  of  Mesha  (about 
850)  for  the  independence  of  his  country  (cf.  2  Kings  i,  i  ;  3,51.  Both  in  the 
literary  phases  through  which  it  has  passed,  and  in  the  sympathetic  spirit  of  the 
original  writer,  this  work  reminds  us  of  21,13-16.  See  also  Jer.  48 ,  29-3S, 
where   many   passages   of  these  chapters  are  copied    or  imitated.     The   uplanils 

25  of  Moab  still  present  many  traces  of  a  lost  civilization',  such  as  is  implied  in 
these  chapters. 

(2)  So  Mesha,  king  of  .Moab,  tells  us  that  he  assaulted  Nebo  at  dawn 
(see  below).  And  so  a  famous  Arabian  poet  says  (Lv.\ll's  metrical  trans- 
lation) : — 

30  Many  the  morning  he  fell  on  tlieir  shelter, 

And  after  slaughter  came  plunder  and  spoiling. 

This  was  one  form  of  the  terror  by  nighl  (Ps.  91,5).  Ar-Moab  and  Kir-Moab 
were  the  two  chief  fortified  cities  of  Moab.  The  former  was  on  the  left  bank 
of  the  .Arnon,   near  the  east  frontier;  the  latter  (=Kir-Heres,  or  Kir-Hareseth, 

35  16,7.11;  Jer.  48,31.36;  2  Kings  3,25)  is  the  modern  Kerak,  which  rises  on 
a  steep,  stony  hill  (see  ne.xt  page),  3720  feet  above  the  sea  level,  surrounded 
by  still  higher  hills,  between  the  Anion  and  the  southern  border  of  Moab. 
The  fall  of  these  two  fortre.sses  (especially  that  of  the  latter)  sealed  the  fate 
of  the  whole  country. 

40  (3)   The  news  of  the  catastrophe  spreads  northward.     The  first  place  which  2 

it  reaches  is  Dibon  (where  Mesha  set  up  his  monumental  stone).  The  people 
seek  to  move  their  god  by  weeping  in  his  sanctuary.  Not  much  is  said  of 
this,  nor  is  the  name  of  Cheitiosh,  the  god  of  Moab,  once  mentioned  (but 
see   on    16,121.     It   must    also    be    observed,    however,    that  even   the   religious 

45  feelings  of  an  Israelite  find  no  direct  utterance ;  the  original  writer  was  there- 
fore not  a  prophet,  but  a  poet.  Were  the  /li.i^/i  places  spoken  of  those  which 
gave  the  name  to  the  place  Bamoth  1  Num.  21,19),  or  Banioth-Baal  (Num. 
22,41),   or  Beth-bamoth   (Mesha's  Inscr.,  1.  27  )  ? 

(4)   Northward  still.     The  hill-towns  of  Nebo  and  Medeba  (note  the  phrase  4 

50  0)1  Nebo,  etc.  1,  Heshbon,  Elealeh,  and  Jahaz  are  specially  mentioned.  With 
bald   heads   and    shorn    beards    I  see    on    Lev.   21,5)    men    crowd    around    the 


169 


-»*e#6g(s- (Uotce  on  3  36ataB -^«*3^4*«— 


15   5 


altars,  or  throng  the  roofs  and  market  places.  The  Judahites  did  the  same,  15 
when  hope  had  fled  (22,12).  All  this  was  disputable  territory.  Cj.  Inscrip- 
tion of  Mesha,  11.  14-19:  And  Clicmosh  said  to  me:  Go,  take  Xebo  from 
Israel,  and  I  went  in  the  night,  and  fought  against  it  from  daybreak  till  noon  ,- 
5  /  took  it,  and  slew  them  all  ...  .  for  to  Ashlar- Chemosh  had  I  devoted  them. 
I  took  thence  the  ARLi  ((/.on  29,  i  )  of  Jnrii,  and  dragged  them  (rituallyj 
before  Chemosh.  The  king  of  Israel  built  (  =  fortitied)  Jahaz,  and  dzvclt  in  it, 
when  he  fought  against  me ;  but  Chemosh  drove  him  out  before  me.  In  1.  10  of 
the  same  priceless  record,  Mesha  tells  us  that  the  men  of  Gad  had  dwelt  in 
10  the  land  of  Ataroth  (nearDibon)  from  of  old;  and  in  Num.  32;  Josh.  13,15-21 
the  country  north  of  the  Arnon  is  assigned  to  the  tribe  of  Reuben.  In  remote 
antiquity  the  same  region  had  been  Amoritish  (  Num.  21  ,  21-31 ) ;  Heshbon 
was    its    capital,    and    Jahaz   was    the    place   where    Sihon   was    totally    defeated 


RUINS    OF    KlR-MO.\B    (KERAK). 

by  the  Israelites.     Heshbon.  fortunately,  can  be  identified  (see  Tristraji,  Land 
15  of  Israel'',  p.  544).     Its  ruins,  which  are  not  very  ancient,  lie  on  a  plateau  about 

i5  miles  E.  of  the  Pilgrims'   Bathing  Place   in  the  Jordan.     Elealeh  may  be  the 

modern    el- AI    which    is    on   a    hill    about    a    mile   N.  of    Hesban    (Heshbon). 

Xebo  is  perhaps   the  village   Xebd  mentioned   by  Robinson   (Bibl.  Researches. 

3,  924),    and    Jledeba   is   still   the   name    of  some   e.xtensive   ruins   6   miles  S.  of 
20  Hesban.     The  land  of  Medeba,  according  to  Mesha,  had  been  occupied  by  the 

Israelites  since  the  time  of  Omri.     They  were  expelled  by  Mesha. 

(5)    Pure   human   pity   speaks   here.     Like   Amos,    the  writer  thinks   that  all  5 

nations    have    equal    rights    and    duties,    but,    being    a    poet,    mercy   witli    him 

rejoices   against  judgment.     If  the  dwellers  in  fenced  cities  give  up   hope,    what 
25  have    the    inhabitants    of    open    towns    and    villages    to    expect?     Most    of    all 

endangered  are  the  people  south  of  the  Arnon.     Fugitives  encumber  the  paths  ; 

as  they  go  along,   they   weep,    and    send    afar    the    tidings  of   ruin.     To    Zoar, 

southeast    of   the    Dead    Sea,    they   flee,     and    make    for    the    point    where    the 


15.6-16,9 


— «*eS<«*-  (Hofce  on  3  'ieaiati  -itfi^im*^ — 


170 


ll'iidv   (■/  .-l/isa,    which   runs    tliiousli    the    07wr  ef-fa/ij'a    into   the    Dead    Sea.  15 
forms    the    boundary    between    Moab    and    Edom.     The   poet    calls    this   Wady, 
the   Torrent  of   the   Willows    116,7);   elsewhere    (Amos  6,  14J    it   is   called   the 
Torrent  of  the  Arabah. 


EGYPTIAN    GRAPE-CLEANING. 


5  (61    Become  waste  places?     Why  so  suddenly?     The  storj'  of  another  inva-  6 

sion  (2  Kin.a:s  3,25)  will  e.xplain.  The  enemy  stopped  all  the  fountains.  The 
Waters  of  Nimrini  gave  their  name  to  the  town   Beth-Nimrah  (Num.  32,36). 

(7)   The   last  two   lines   may   be   due   to   the   editor   (see  note    i);   they   are  9 
out  of  place  in  an  elegy.      Cf.   16,  1.2.4-6.12-14.1  and  p.  168,  1.  ro. 

10  181    It   is  not  clear  who  says  this;   still  less,    how  this  verse    is  connected  16, 

with  the  ne.xt.  The  text  is  in  disorder,  and  the  editor  has  failed  to  make 
sense.  In  v.  i  the  fugitives  are,  as  it  seems,  in  the  rocky  country  of  Edom  ; 
in  V.  2  at  the  fords  of  the  Arnon.  The  present  is  the  tribute  due  to  the 
suzerain   (2   Kings  3.4). 

'5  (9)    With   these    words    begins    an    appeal    of  the    Moabitish    leaders   to   the  3 

Israelites. 


( 10 )  Here  we  seem 
carried  into  the  Mes- 
sianic age  ( cf.  29  ,  20  ; 

20  9,6).  Possibly  the  ed- 
itor considered  the  con- 
text to  refer  to  the  lat- 
ter days,  and  therefore 
inserted  vv.  4b  .  5. 

25  (11)   The    connec- 

tion here  is  not  evi- 
dent. The  passage  re- 
minds us  of  25  ,  lib. 
In  style  it  is  tautolog- 

30  ical,  and  may  therefore 
well  be  ascribed  to  the 
editor. 


EGYPTIAN    WINE-PRESS. 


(12)  Sweet  cakes,  4. 
made  of  pressed  grapes 
and  flour,  such  as  are 
still  used  in  Cyprus  (as 
a  survival  of  Phoenician 
paganism  1  in  feasts  at 
cliurcli  festivals.  The 
IMoabitish  raisin-cakes 
may  also  have  had  re-  6 
ligious  uses  {cf.  2  Sam. 
6,  18. 19;  Hos.  3,  I ). 
Kir-Harescth  ( =  Kir 
Moab)  is  the  modern 
Kerak  (see  note  2), 
near  which  place  vine- 
yards still  exist. 


(13)  Such  was  the  strength  of  the  wine  of  Sibmah   that  even  kings,  accus-  8 
tomed   to  generous  wine,  were  smitten  dozen  (28,1),  overcome,  by  it.      Cf.  Lat. 
35  saiiC!iis=  'intoxicated.' 

(14)  So  luxuriant  was  this  vine  that  its  tendrils  stretched  even  into  the 
desert.  The  poet  imagines  a  single  great  vine  which  spread  in  all  directions 
{cf.   Hos.  10,  I;    Ps.  80,  8-11). 

(15)  The  Dead  Sea  is  meant. 

40  (16)   The  same  word   is    used   for  7var-cry  and   cry  of  the  vinta.ge  (v.  10);  9 

the  huzza  of  the  \intagers  gives  place  to  the  hurra  of  the  foreign  soldiery. 


171  ^**e|^*- (Jlotco  on  3  3ea«a3 -ssSsjia.?-:—  16,12-21,1 

Of  the  liappy  country  life  of  the  ancient  Moabites  we  have  no  record.  But  16 
the  pictures  which  still  adorn  ancient  Egyptian  tombs  show  us  how  in  the 
valley  of  the  Nile  the  grapes  were  gathered  (see  page  170),  and  then  pressed 
in  the  wine-press.  The  latter  consisted  of  a  long  low  box  on  which  was  erected 
5  a  wooden  frame-work.  Five  or  six  men  entered  this  box,  and  trod  the  grapes. 
The  shape  of  the  wine-press  reminds  one  of  the  presses  still  conmion  in  tlie 
south  of  Europe  (see  Erman,  Life  in  Ancient  Egypt,  p.  197). 

(17)  Some    insertion  seems   required   to   make  a  worthy  sense.     The  words  12 
here  given  are  suggested  by  Jer.  48,  13   (</.  vv.  4.7). 
10  (18)  I.saiah's  hand  begins  to  be  clearly  traceable  in  this  brief  oracle ;   ej.  for  14 

the  pliraseotogy,  21,16;  17,3,4;  10,25;  29,17.  The  introductory  words,  how- 
ever,  must  be  the  editor's  (see  note  i). 

(Tlefce  on  (propBccj  2. 

(pp.  57-58) 

15  (i)  Two  short  oracles,  later  (on  account  of  their  style)  than  Isaiah's  time,  21.  11 

which  the  editor  wished  to  preserve,  and  therefore  prefixed  to  a  small  genuine 
fragment  of  Isaiah.  They  may  belong  to  the  time  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  604- 
561  B.  c.  (r/.  Jer.  27,3). 

(2)  The  Edomites  ask  the  prophet  whether  there   is  any   hope  of  a  speedy  12 

20  end  of  their  troubles.  The  prophet  answers  by  a  riddle  such  as  the  wise  men 
of  Edom  (Jer.  49,7)  will  understand.  The  morning  has  come;  the  sun  has 
leaped  up  into  the  sky.  But,  metaphorically,  a  fresh  and  darker  night  has 
begun  (cf.  Eccl.  12,2).  This  is  all  that  the  watchman  (r/.  Ps.  130,6)  can  tell 
at  present. 

25  (3)    Some    good    authorities    substitute    in   Arabia    for    at    eventide.      This   13 

reading  was  at  any  rate  that  of  the  late  editor  to  whom  this  and  the  parallel 
headings  of  prophecies  are  due.  Arabia  in  the  OT  is  merely  the  name  for 
North  Arabia,  or  for  a  North  Arabian  tribe  or  group  of  tribes.  The  Dedanites, 
a  commercial  people,  are  mentioned  by  Jer.   (49,8)  as  belonging  to  Edom,  and 

30  again  (25,23)  in  company  with  Tema. 

(4)  East  of  the  Gulf  of  Akabah,  south  of  the  Dedanites;  cf.  Gen.  25,  15.         14 

(5)  The   Kedarenes   play   a   prominent   ]3art   in   the   wars   of  Sargon  and  his  17 
successors  ;  they  are  frequently  mentioned  with  the  inhabitants  of  North  Arabia. 


P.-\RT    IV. 

(Tlefee  on  (propBecp  l. 

( pp.  59 .  60 1 

(i)   The   first  considerable  prophecy   in   the   late   Exilic  group  is    13,2-14,  21, 

23,  and  some  of  the  brief  critical  arguments  there  given  apply  also  to  21,  i-io. 

Suffice  it    to    say  here    that,    though    this    work    has    some   linguistic  points   of 

40  contact   with  the  true   Isaiah,    we    are    bound    to    group   it  with    the   other  late 

Exilic   prophecies    on    Babylon.      Notice    (a)   the   mention   of    Elam    and    Media 


21,5-  lo 


— >*e^fej»-  (Tlolca  on  4  ^sata^  -sSiStra* 


172 


together   in   v.  2.      Cyrus'  hereditary    kinsicUnn    of   Anzau,    in    vvliich    lie   reigned  ai 
till  549  I  conciuest  of  Medial,   was   situated   in    Klani.  and   the   .Medes   (who  were 
not   formidable   in    Isaiah's   time)    are    spoken   of   as   the   destroyers   of  Babylon 


in  <;.  13  (F.xilic).  —  Also 
51/))     the     description    of 

Babylon  as  an  oppres- 
sive   power   (vv.  2  .  10)  ; 

cf.  14  ,  4-6.        But     the 

special  characteristic  of 
10  this  prophecy  is  the  vivid 

picture     which    it    gives 

of    the     phenomena     of 

prophetic   ecstasy.      The 

writer  speaks  as  if  he  had 
15  a  double  consciousness: 

he   is   told   to    station   a 

ivatclier    (v.  6),     though 

the  cvatclicr  can  only  be 

the  writer  himself  in  his 
20  character  of  seer  {cf.  the 

distinction  which  Zecha- 

riah  makes  between  him- 
self and   the   angel   zvlio 

talked  -a'ilh  hint).  So, 
25  too,  he  longs  for  the  fall 

of  B,ibylon,  and   yet   he 

is    horror-struck    at    the 

thought  of  it  ;  this  must 

of  the  south   of  Palestine   ( Zech.  9,  14 


x/         .1'!?-  1- 


DEMON    OF   THE 
SOUTHWEST    WIND 


surely  represent  a  pre- 
liminary stage  in  the  pro- 
phetic ecstasy.  More- 
over, he  speaks  as  if  he 
were  at  a  distance  from 
Babylon,  as  if  a  spiritual 
force  had  lifted  him  up 
like  Ezekiel  l-lCzek.  8,3), 
and  brought  him  to  Jeru- 
salem. And  throughout, 
the  prophecy  is  e.\- 
ceptionally  obscure ;  the 
w Titer  seems  hardly  yet  to 
have  fully  recovered  his 
normal   consciousness. 

(  2  )  In  Babylonia  the 
southwest  wind,  which 
comes  from  the  Arabian 
desert,  was  specially 
dreaded  ;  see  the  images 
of  the  demon  of  the 
southwest  wind  in  our 
museums.  Probably, 

however,    the   writer  re- 
fers   to    the   -whirlwinds 
He   is   carried   away   in   an   ecstasy  to 


30  Jerusalem,    and   across  the  desert  which   separates  Judah  from   the  terrible  land 
(, Babylonia)  visionary  sights  and  sounds  are  borne  swiftly  towards  him. 
(3)    A  sudden  cry  disturbs  the  feasting  Babylonians. 

14)   The   vision   only   reveals   a   specimen,  as   it   were,  of  the  Persian   army: 
first   a   troop   of  cavalry,    and   then   a   train   of  asses   and   camels   (used   for  car- 
35  rying   baggage    and   provisions,    Herod,  i  ,  So ;    7,83)    such   as   is   represented  in 
the  engraving. 


^K4i 


m^^-fT^ 


(5)  So  Tiglath-pileser  III   1745-728)  says:    The  land  of  B'lt-Ainttkkan  I  trod    10 
down  as   at  threshing.      Bit-Amukkan   was   one   of  the   Chaldean   states,    which, 
like    Bit-Iakin  (see   on   39,  i  ),  gave  much  trouble  to  the  Assyrian  kings  in  rela- 
40  tion  to  Babylonia. 


173  — »4«§Si*- (Jlofce  on  4  3i5aia8 -*jj*g(a*«^ —  13  ,  i 

(Ttofee  on  (prop^ccp  2. 

(pp.  60-64 J 

(i)  The  editor  had  a  special  predilection  for  the  title  oracle  (Heb.  luassd),  13, 
which  occurs  ten  times  in  the  headings  of  this  section,  and  helps  to  show 
5  that  it  had  once  an  independent  existence.  The  prophecy  (13,1-14,23)  is 
the  only  one  of  the  Exilic  and  post-Exilic  prophecies  which  is  ascribed  to  Isaiah, 
and  the  best  reason  for  this  deviation  from  editorial  usage  which  can  be 
ofiered  is,  that  this  prophecy  introduces  a  collection  of  prophecies,  chiefly 
Isnianic,    on   foreign    nations.     The    heading    is    in    fact   a    loose   way   of   saying 

10  that  this  collection  m  the  main  comes  from  Isaiah. 

There  are  four  reasons  why  the  Oracle  on  Babylon  cannot  be  the  work 
of  Jsaiah :  (a)  It  has  neither  been  proved,  nor  is  it  probable,  that  the  return 
of  a  large  body  of  Israelitish  exiles  was  expected  by  Isaiah,  whose  attention 
(even   when   he   is   exceptionally   hopeful)    is   absorbed    by  the   actual   people   of 

15  Judah  111,11-16  is,  on  various  grounds,  not  Isaiah's).  —  (b)  No  prediction  of 
a  Babylonian  Exile  can  be  safely  indicated  in  the  prophecies  of  this  period. 
Is.  39.5-7  comes  to  us  from  a  late  hand,  and  the  reference  to  Babylon  in 
Mic.  4 ,  10  (if  no  more)  is  undoubtedly  due  to  an  interpolator.  —  (c)  The  writer 
of  13,2-14,23  does   not  assume    the    historical    position   of  Isaiah.     Read   the 

20  prophecy,  and  judge.  The  Medes  are  described  in  it  as  already  crossing  the 
mountains  of  the  frontier.  Soon  they  will  begin  their  appointed  work  of 
destruction,  and  the  palaces  of  Babylon  will  become  an  awful  desolation  (c.  13). 
Can  Isaiah  have  written  in  this  way?  It  was  long  after  Isaiah's  time  that 
the  power  of  the  Medes  became    formidable ;  and   if  that  prophet  could   have 

25  foreseen  such  a  gathering  of  the  Medes  and  the  subject  Iranian  peoples  as 
c.  13  describes,  he  would  have  represented  the  Babylonians,  not  as  their  foes, 
but  as  their  allies.  To  say  that  kiii<r  of  Babylon  in  14 ,  4  =  king  of  Assyria 
is  only  possible  by  a  deplorable  misuse  of  archeology.  And  as  for  Babylon 
itself,    the  city   which   Isaiah   knew   under  this   name   was   one   which   contended 

30  at  a  disadvantage  with  the  colossal  might  of  Assyria  (read  the  history  of 
Merodach-Baladan,  721-710). —  [d)  The  balance  of  the  evidence  from  ideas, 
phraseology,  and  style  is  in  favor  of  a  late  date  (even  if  a  number  of  facts 
be  set  aside  as  doubtful,  on  the  ground  of  their  dependence  on  critical 
decisions    as    to    the    date    of    other    disputed    writings),     and    very    decidedly 

35  opposed  to  the  traditional  theory  of  Isaiah's  authorship.  More  especially  is 
this  the  case  with  the  Triumphant  Ode  in  c.  14.  Among  the  late  ideas,  notice 
(a)  the  conception  of  the  day  of  Jhvh  as  a  day  of  universal,  judgment,  and 
observe  the  want  of  moderation  in  the  description  (13,6-13;  cf  Zeph.  1  ;  Joel 
2;   Is.  24.34);  —  (5)    the    expectation   of  the    admission    of   foreign    proselytes 

40  (14,1;  see  note):  —  (c)  the  adoption  of  the  popular  idea  of  Sheol  (14,9.10; 
cf.  Ezek.  31,  10-18;  32,  17-32);  —  (d)  the  reference  to  the  belief  in  the  Moun- 
tain of  Elohiin  (  14.  13  ;  see  note  8)  ;  —  (e)  the  mention  of  the  belief  in  demons 
of  the  desert  ( 13  ,  21  ;  see  note  4). 

As   to  the   date,    it   is   doubtful  whether   it  should  be  placed  before   or   after 

45  549  'the  year  in  which  Cyrus  overthrew  the  Median  empire).  The  native 
commentator  on  Egyptian  prophecies  to  whom  the  well-known  French  Egyptolo- 
gist M.  Rea'ILLOUT  has  introduced  us,  always  calls  the  Persians  Medes,  and  the 
Greeks  (excepting  ^schylus)  long  spoke  of  the  Medes  rather  than  the  Persians. 
The    prophecy  was    at    any  rate  written    before    the    surrender    of    Babylon  to 

50  Gobryas,  the  general  of  Cyrus,  in  53S.  If  21,1-10  be  the  earliest  of  the 
Babylonian  prophecies,  this  one  should  certainly  come  next  in  order.  If  the 
reader  will   compare   both   compositions   he   will    be  able   to   estimate   the   supe- 


13,6-14,21  — e^^esSi- (Jlolca  on  4  38aia5 -«?*t!>h-« —  174 

riority   of   tlie    former,     ^'et    the    work    before    us,    imperfect   as    it    is    from    a  13 
modem    point   of    view,    attracted    some    early   writers;   it    is    imitated    liotli    in 
c.  34   and   in  Jer.  50.51.     And   shocking   as   some   of   tlie   details   of  c.  13   m.iy 
appear,    they   are   not   more    so   than   certain    painful    facts    in    the   treatment   of 
5  Elam  by  Assyria  (see  note  4). 

(2)  The    El    Shaddai    of    Gen.   17,1;     Ex.  6,3.      The    true    derivation    is  6 
uncertain,  but  the  name  may  have   suggested   to   the   ancient  writer  the  interpre- 
tation Dcslruitive  One. 

(3)  The  name  of  a  single  brilliant  constellation  is  given  to  the  whole  class.     10 
to          (4)   This   is   but   the   counterpart  of  what   Assurbanipal    (669-625)   says  that  20 

he  has  done  in  Elam :  In  thirty  days  I  smote  Elain  entirely  to  the  ground. 
The  voice  of  men,  the  treading  of  oxen  and  sheep,  the  sound  of  joyous 
mn.<;ic,  did  I  cause  her  fields  to  lack.  Wild  asses,  gazelles,  and  beasts  of  the 
field,   in  full  numhrr,   I  caused  to  lie  down  therein. 

15  The  satyrs  are  goat-shaped  demons  of  the  desert  (Lev.  17,  7  ;  2  Chr.  11  ,  15).  21 

One  is  reminded  of  the  Arabian  jinn,  which  are  represented  as  having  monstrous 
hairy  forms.     Cf.  on  34  ,  14. 

(5)  An  early  reference  to  proselytes  {cf.  44,5;  55,5;  56,3.6;  Ps.  115,  in.  14,1 
In  later  Hebrew  sojourner  even  obtains  the  technical  sense  of  proselyte. 

20  (6)   There   is   here  a   dim   reminiscence   of  the   mythic   ruler  of  Sheol.     He,  9 

too,  like  the  shades  ( etymologically,  the  weak  ones),  needs  to  be  stirred  up 
[cf  I  Sam.  28,15).  From  him  the  excitement  passes  to  the  sceptred  and 
enthroned  dead,  who  have  a  compartment  of  Sheol  to  themselve.s.  See  Job 
3,14.15;   Ezek.  31  ,  10-18 ;   32,17-32),    and   compare  the  still   more   vivid   pic- 

25  ture  of  the  underworld  in  the  Assyrian  poem,  the  Descent  of  Istar. 

(7)  In   his  splendor  the  king   of  Babylon  had  resembled  the  morning- star ;  12 
the   figure   was   all   the   more    striking   when    the  stars   were   regarded   as   being 
animated  (see  Job  38,  7).     The  dan'n,  too,  is  personified,  as  in  Job  3 ,  9 ;  41,10; 
Ps.  139,  II.     In  the  following  line  there  seems  to  be  a  fusion  of  the  conceptions 

30  of  the  grave  and  the  underworld.      Q'.  v.  19. 

(8)  By   itself,    this    might    be    a    mere    hyperbole    (as  Job  20,6),    but    the  13 
context    suggests    that    we    are    to    supply    mentally,    after    death.     The    royal 
boaster  asserts   that   he   is   the   peer  of  the   A/bst  High  (Heb.   Elyon),    and   will 
enthrone   himself  on   the  sacred   mountain,    on  whose  summit  the  divine   beings 

35  dwell.  Nay,  replies  the  poet:  to  Sheol  shalt  thou  be  brought  down  (of 
course,  after  death).  There  was  a  wide-spread  ancient  belief  in  a  lofty  moun- 
tain of  the  gods,  localized  somewhere  upon  earth.  Such  a  belief  is  traceable 
in  Babylonia,  and  the  Hebrew  writer  may  have  heard  of  the  Babylonian 
Olympus.     At  any  rate,   Ezek.  28,  13.  14  proves  that  the  Jews  themselves  during 

40  the  Exile  spoke  of  a  holy  mountain  of  Elohim,  and  from  Ezek.  1,4  {cf.  Job 
37,22,  corrected  text)  we  know  that  Jhvh  was  then  thought  to  dwell,  not  (as 
of  old)  at  Horeb,  but  in  the  North.  The  conception  is  Babylonian.  The  seat 
of  Anu,  the  god  of  heaven,  was  placed  at  the  North  Pole  (Jensen,  Cosmology 
of  the  Babylonians,  pp.  23  f. ) 

45  (9)   The  sky   was   mythically  represented   as   a   sea,  out  of  which    rose   hills  14 

(the  clouds);  cf.  Job  9,8;  36,30. 

(10)  Other   kings   are  buried  in   glorious  mausoleums.     But   the    dead   body  19 
of  the   defeated    king   of  Babylon,    after  being  trampled   upon,    is   flung  ( into   a 
pit?)  among   the  other  corpses,  and  this  ignominious  fate  of  his  perishable  body 

50  is  reflected  in  that  of  the  shadowy  form  in  which  lie  still  lives,  or  sleeps,  in  the 
recesses  of  the  pit  (i.  e.  of  the  underworld). 

(11)  The  heaps  are  the  mounds   of  ruins   (tels,   as  they  are  called)   which  21 
abound   in  many  once  flourishing  countries   of  the   East,  and  not  least  on  the 
Upper  Euphrates.     Cj.  the  phrase  often  used  by  Assyrian  kings  :  lu/o  a  heap  of 

55  rui)is  and  into  arable  fields  I  changed  it. 


1/5  — **ejJ^Se-  Qtotce  on  4  36ata5  •5iS«tEi3^!>« —  40 ,  i  -  20 

(Uotce  on  (pvof()ic^  3. 

(pp.  64-96) 

(i)  The  annals  of  Nabfl-na'id  (the  last  king  of  Babylon,  B.C.  555-538)  40,1 
tell  us  that  in  f/ie  ninth  year  ( 547 )  Cyrus,  king  of  Parsii,  crossed  the  Tigris 
5  below  Arbela.  In  the  same  year,  it  would  seem  (though  the  Babylonian 
annals  do  not  refer  to  this)  that  Croesus,  king  of  Lydia,  formed  an  alliance 
against  Cyrus  with  Amasis,  king  of  Egypt,  and  (if  Herodotus  may  be  trusted) 
Labynetus,  i.  e.  Nab(j-na'id,  king  of  Babylon  ;  Sparta  also  is  said  to  have 
promised  auxiliary  troops.     But   without  waiting   for  his   allies,    Croesus  crossed 

10  the  Halys  in  the  spring  of  546,  entered  Cappadocia,  and  captured  Pteria. 
Cyrus,  however,  drove  him  back  into  Lydia,  and  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year  Sardis,  the  capital  of  Lydia,  was  taken,  and  Croesus  fell  into  the 
hands  of  his  enemies.  The  exact  history  of  the  following  years  is  unknown, 
but    it    is    certain    that    in   539-53S,    after   a   victory  in   Southern   Babylonia,   the 

15  army  of  Cyrus  entered  the  city  of  Sippar,  and  two  days  later  Babylon  itself, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  inhabitants.  It  was  probably  at  intervals 
during  this  period,  but  before  the  march  upon  Babylon,  that  the  Second 
Isaiah  wrote  his  book,  which  says  so  much  of  the  (far)  countries  (i.  e.  those 
on  the  coasts  of  the  Mediterranean)  and  of  the  nations,   and  so  clearly  implies 

20  that  they  were  deeply  interested  in  the  movements  of  Cyrus.  The  large  designs 
attributed  to  Cyrus  by  Herodotus  naturally  produced  a  wide-spread  excitement 
in  the  East,  in  which  the  Jews  participated,  and  to  this,  combined  with  an 
intense  belief  in  prophecy  (Jer.  29,  10),  we  owe  the  splendid  composition  of 
the  Second  Isaiah.      Cf.  p.  131,  1.  26. 

25  (2)   i.  e.  that  the  demands,  not  merely  of  justice,  but  of  wrath  (Jer.  16,  iS),  2 

have  been  satisfied.     Cf.  on  61 ,  7. 

(3)  Ruined  Jerusalem   is   likened    to    a    disconsolate  woman,    lying  on  the  9 
ground    (52,1.2;  60,1).     Sympathizing    friends    are    bidden    to    climb    a    high 
hill,    and   vvatch    for   Jhvh's    return.     On    seeing    the    first    indications  of  this, 

30  they  are  to  hasten  back,  spreading  the  glad  news  (52,7;  cf.  41,27).  The 
prophet  is  transported  in  imagination  to  Palestine  and  to  the  time  immedi- 
ately preceding  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise. 

(4)  Compare  Jeremiah  31,  lo;  SO,  19;  Ezekiel  34,  n-i6.  11 

(5)  Lit.,  the  spirit.     Contrast  Isaiah's  conception  of  the  divine  spirit,   11  ,  2.     13 
35           16)    Literally,   a   drop  from   a  bucket;  cf.  Cant.  6,5,   a  flock  of  goats  that  tie  15 

along  the  side  of  Gilead  (lit., //-o/w  Gilead).  The  figure  seems  to  be  that  of  a 
drop  trickling  down  the  side  of  a  bucket  of  water,  and  about  to  fall  ;  the  idea, 
that  of  smallness  and  feebleness. 

(7)  The  word  rendered   here   islands,    and   elsewhere   la?uls   by   the   sea   and 
40  (far)    countries   (Heb.    iyyitn)   occurs    12   times   in   Is.  40-56,  always,    except  in 

42 ,  15,  with  reference  to  the  islands  of  the  Mediterranean.  Even  of  Greece 
proper  some  vague  tidings  may  have  reached  the  Jews,  for  Sparta  Ls  said  to 
have   offered  help  to   Crcesus  (note    i).     Cf.   n,ii;   24,15;  Gen.  10,5. 

(8)  The   first   of  a   series   of  attacks    upon    idolatry   (see  44,9-20;   45,20;  20 
45  46,1.2.5-7),    not  all,    however,   by  the    same    hand.     Cf.  also   Hab.  2,18.19; 

Jer.  10,1-9;  Ps.  115,4-7;  Baruch  6  [all  post-Exilic  passages).  The  writer 
addresses  not  so  much  Jewish  or  Babylonian  polytheists  as  humanity  at  large ; 
idolatr>'  is  a  natural  error  of  man  as  man.  Still,  his  words  must  be  suggested 
by  what  he  sees  before  him.  Babylon  was  the  centre  of  a  magnificent 
50  idolatry,  and  the  idols  of  the  kingdom  (being  the  tabernacles  of  the  invisible 
gods )    were   considered   as   its   great    protectors.     In   the   year   of   the   surrender 


40,21-41.-6  ->*ej**ffl:- QtotoB  on  4  38<i">? -^S^s^a** —  176 

of  Babylon    (538),    we   are    told    that    tlic   gods   of  //if   coiin/iy   of  Accad   w/iii/i  40 
are  above    and  bc/ozv    //if    s/cy   eiitfred    Baby/on    ( /.  f.   uere    carried    thither   in 
procession  I    to    avert    the     dreaded    catastrophe    (see    the    Annalistic    Tablet   of 
Cyrus,   reverse,   col.  i,   11.  10.  11).      CJ"-  45  ,  20- 
5  (9)    Implying   the    belief  in    a    primitive    revelation,    which    the   writer    ma\'  21 

have  got  from  the  Judaic  Writer  [cf.  37,26). 

(10)  The  more  correct  expression  is  //le  van//  of  lifavfn  (Job  22,14).  22 

(11)  The    first    appearance    of    the    verb    crea/c    I  Heb.    bard).      A    great,  26 
though   unsystematic,    theologian,    the    Second    Isaiah    chooses    his    words    care- 

10  fully.  T/iosf.  pointing  upwards  to  the  stars.  Possibly  this  writer  had  practiced 
himself  in  religious  addresses  to  private  assemblies  of  Jews. 

(12)  The  peoples   of  the   world    (especially   of  Asia  Minor)   are   personified  41,1 
as  so   many  men  {cf.  40,27),  who   liave  come   together  in  alarm  to  discuss   the 
great   news   of  the    march   of    Cyrus,    and    wliom    Jhvh    invites    to    a    battle  of 

15  argument.  They  are  commanded  to  be  silent  till  their  turn  comes  to  speak. 
The  tribunal  is  that  of  reason  (5,3). 

(13)  So    the  Assyrian    king  Assurnac,-irpal    (SS4-860)    says:   Rugged  pa//is,  3 
difficu//    moun/ains,    wliich  for    //le   passage   of   my  c/iario/s    and   /roops    zvere 
110/  sui/fd,   I  passed.     Cf.  also  Dan.  8,5. 

20  (14)    The   prophet   again  assumes   that   the   iia/ions   have   obtained   by  tradi-  4 

tion  at  least  a  faint  acquaintance  with  the  truths  so  dear  to  himself  Cf. 
Pss.  90,  31  ;   102,  27  ;  see  also  Is.  43  ,  lo.  13  ;  46,  41  ;  48  ,  12. 

(15)  /.  e.    Haran    in    Mesopotamia,    Abraham's    fatherland    (Gen.   24,4.71,  9 
The    writer    places    himself    imaginatively    in    Palestine    ((y^40,9),     where    the 

25  home  of  Abraham  would  seem  as  far  off  as  Palestine  seems  to  the  Jewish 
e.xiles  in  Babylon. 

(16)  The   writer   is   not   yet    made  peifcc/  in   /ovf   ( </.  45 ,  24 )  !     He   dwells  15 
with  delight  on  the  destructive  march  of  the  conqueror. 

(17)  Lebanon,   with  its  varied  growths  of  trees,   charmed   many  of  tlie  Old  19 
30  Testament   writers.     Hence  the  author,    who   is    far   from    Babylon,    at  an\-   rale 

in  spirit,  mentions  at  least  four  trees  which  are  //le  g/ory  of  Lebanon.  The 
acacia  is  common  in  the  dry  beds  of  water-courses:  the  valley  of  Kidron  is 
called  in  Joel  3,18  the  Va//fy  of  S/ii//im  (or  acacias).  The  oleaster  is 
abundant    throughout    Palestine,    except    the    Jordan    valley.       The   myrtle,    too, 

35  abounds  in  the  glens  of  Palestine  -,  it  seems  to  have  been  introduced  during, 
or  after,  the  Exile,  for  it  is  only  mentioned  in  post-Exilic  writings.  The  cypress 
referred  to  here  (Heb.  /t-'ass/n'ir)  is  a  small  kind  of  cypress  resembling  the 
cedar  {o.vycfdrus).  Probably  the  writer  means  th:it  these  trees  will  adorn 
the  transformed   desert   through    which   the   exiles  return  home    (</'.  40,3).     But 

40  this  is  only  a  matter  of  conjecture. 

(iS)    Again   a   dispute;  this   time   between  Jhvh    and    the   false   gods.     The  21 
Israelites   and   the   heathen  are   in   the   background.     The  false   deities   are   sup- 
posed   to    complain    of    their    credit    having    been    injured    by    the    preceding 
statements.     JuvH    invites   them   to  justify   this   complaint   Ijy  proving  that   they, 

45  too,  have  uttered  predictions  which  have  been  fulfilled. 

(19)    Lit.    zvha/    //ley   were.      The    false    gods    may    mention    either   predic-  22 
tions   of  past   events,  which  were   duly   fulfilled,  or  predictions  of  future   events, 
the   issue  of  which    Jhvh    and    His    followers   will    carefully   mark.     Or,    lastly, 
let  them  give  any  proof  that  they  like,  of  their  ability  to  act. 

50  (20)   The  false  gods  being    silent,   the  controversy  should    be  closed.     But  26 

JHVH  once  more  challenges  them.  He  claims  to  have  called  Cyrus  from  the 
North-East  to  overthrow  the  empire  of  Babylon.  The  victor,  in  response, 
becomes    a   worshiper  of  Jhvh,    proc/aitning  His  A^ame  in  prajer  and    praise 


177  ^-3-*6^*as- QXolce  on  4  36ataS -^SJi^**- —  41.27-42,4 

(C/'45-3i-  Already  there  are  some  highly  favored  non-Israelites  whom  the  41 
one  true  God  leads  to  a  knowledge  of  Himself  Chief  among  them  is  Cyrus, 
whom  the  Second  Isaiah  no  doubt  regards  as  a  worshiper  of  the  Persian  god 
of  light,  Ahura-Mazda,  of  whose  similarity  to  the  Jhvh  of  the  Hebrew 
5  prophets  some  reports  may  possibly  have  reached  him.  To  have  announced 
the  successful  career  of  this  noble-minded  king  and  warrior  is  offered  as  a 
proof  of  Jhvh's  sole  divinity.  Which  of  the  false  gods  has  foretold  in  oracles 
the  rise  of  Cyrus? 

(21)  Instead   of  saying   I  first  annoitiiiid  it.   Jhvh   points   to    His   prophet,   27 
10  the  writer  of  these  chapters. 

(22)  The  verdict. of  V.  24  is   reaffirmed;   the  heathen  gods  and  their   images  29 
are  worthless.     The  text  here  is  in  some  slight  disorder. 

(23)  The  .first  of  a  cycle  of  highly  poetic  oracles  on  the  Servant  of  Jhvh  ^Z,\ 
(see    also   49,1-6;   50,4-9;    52,13-53,12).     Who    is    this    great    personage? 

15  Before  the  Exile  there  were  individual  Servants  of  Jhi'H,  like  the  patriarchs 
(Gen.  26,24;  Ex.  32,13;  Ezek.  28,25),  Moses  (Num.  12, S;  Deut.  34  ,  5  ;  Josh. 
1,1),  David  (2  Sam.  7,8),  and  especially  the  prophets  (2  Kings  9,7;  17,13; 
I  Kings  14 ,  18 ;  Is.  20,3).  But  the  nobler  exiles,  who  combined  the  old  belief  in 
a  special  connection  between  Israel  and  Jhvh  with   a   new  and   sublime   faith  in 

20  the  Creator  and  moral  Governor  of  the  world,  became  conscious  that  the  preser- 
vation of  a  remnant  of  Israel  must  have  had  an  object  of  world-wide  import- 
ance, I'iz.  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  into  willing  Servants  of  the  true  God. 
Israel,  then,  is  henceforth  ideally  a  prophet,  not  in  the  sense  of  a  predictor, 
but  in  that  of  a  divinely  appointed  and  gifted  teacher.     Looking  at  his  people 

25  in  the  light  of  this  ideal,  the  writer  uses  the  most  exalted  language  concerning 
it  (see  f.^.  49,1-3).  At  other  times  he  betrays  a  consciousness  that  the 
actual  Israel  falls  far  short  of  its  high  ideal  (see  on  42,18;  43,8;  52,13- 
53.I2J.  The  inconsistency  is  lightened  by  the  hypothesis  that  the  Servant  is 
the   Genius    (the   ka,    as   the   Egyptians   would   have   said)    of  Israel,    and    Israel 

30  itself  only  in  so  far  as  this  invisible  but  most  real  Genius  becomes  actualized 
in  living  Israelites.  This  is  no  fantastic  theory,  but  is  in  harmony  with  ancient 
Oriental,  and  especially  with  Jewish,  modes  of  thought.  Indeed,  the  preexist- 
ence  of  Israel  in  the  heavenly  world  was  a  tenet  of  later  Judaism.  It  should 
be  added  that   it  is  very  far   from    certain   that   the   four   poeUc    oracles   on    the 

35  Servant  were  written  by  the  author  of  the  Prophecy  of  Restoration  himself 
They  may  have  been  inserted  by  him,  or  by  an  editor,  from  another  source,  or 
have  been  composed  by  some  gifted  writer  to  supplement  the  work  of  the 
Second  Isaiah.      For  the  present  writer's  view,  see  p.  131,   1.  14. 

(24)  Israel  is  to  be    henceforth    a    people  of   missionaries.     Laiv  means  a 
40  sound   religious  ordering  of  life  based  upon  the  principles  of  the   prophets  and 

the  laws  of  Israel.  In  v.  4  a  nearly  synonymous  word  is  used,  instruction  ( or 
direction,  Heb.  fdrdk),  the  sense  of  which  is  clear  from  2,3. 

(25)  The  writer  assumes   that  sorrow  is   no  monopoly  of  Israel  (0^.  25,7).  3 
Like   Ezekiel,    perhaps,    he   is  a  pastor   to  individuals  as   well  as  a  prophet  to 

45  the  community,  and  has  bound  up  many  broken  hearts  icf.  51,1)  by  the 
faithful  presentation  of  truth.  Genuine  prophetic  natures  like  his  own  are  the 
opposite  of  cracked  reeds  and  glimmering  lamps  (v.  4),  and  into  such  he 
would  have  all  Israelitish  natures  transformed.  Then  Israel  will  be  indeed 
the  Servant  of  Jhvh. 

50  ( 26)    Cyrus  is  not  the   only  one  among  the   heathen  who  is  being  prepared  4 

to  accept  the  true  religion.  There  are  spoken  and  unspoken  longings  which 
find  their  way  to  the  ear  of  the  One  God  (cf  Mai.  i.ii;  Ps.  65,2),  and 
just  now,  according  to  the  prophet,  the  assembled  nations  have  willingly 
listened  (41.  i  &c. )  to  a  conclusive  argument  in  favor  of  Jhvh's  sole  divinity. 


42,5-43.22  — ►*«?*e«»- (JlofcB  on  4  ^^aia^ -niBif^^*—  178 

(27)  His  coiUumpl.-ilion  ended,  lliu  prophet  proceeds  to  expound  a  part  42 ,  .5 
of  his  j;reat  theme.  Jiivh  is  the  God  of  the  world,  who  makes  nothing  in 
vain,  and  neglects  nothing  that  He  has  made.  He  has  a  purpose  for  Israel 
and  for  the  nations.  First,  the  spiritual  sensibilities  of  llie  former  must  be 
5  quickened,  and  then  it  must  receive  freedom  of  movement.  In  this  way  the 
old  Israel  will  be  formed  anew,  and  (lualified  to  become  a  symbol  and  pledge, 
nay,  more  than  this,  an  embodiment  of  the  new  covenant  between  God  and 
man.  '\'hc /i>//i  are  the  human  race  (r/.  1.  17);  thus  the  parallelism  with  the 
ne.xt  phrase  is  complete. 

10  (28)    Events   shoot  forlh   from    predictions    (</.  55 ,  10.  11 ).     The   >ie7v  things  <) 

are  not  merely  the  victories  of  Cyrus,  but,  much  more,  the  glorious  future  of 
Israel,  of  which  those  victories  are  the  condition.  Xo  mere  politician  could 
guess  that  Israel  would  be  treated  by  Cyrus  differently  from  other  peoples, 
and  that  Jerusalem  would  become  the  religious  capital  of  the  world. 

15  (29)   The   last  occasion   on   which  Jiivii   broke  silence   {cf.  Hab.  1,13;    f's.   14 

28,  I),  and  helped  His  people,  was  the  long-past  invasion  of  Sennacherib  (701). 

(30)  Here    the    propliet    returns    to    his    proper    theme.     The    preceding  18 
promises   (v.  17)  are  conditional.     Israel   needs   to    be   prepared   for  its  deliver- 
ance and   for  its  subsecjuent   work.     At   present  the  btind  and  the  deaf  appear 

20  to   predominate    in    the    community   of    the   exiles.      But    they   are    happily   not 
btind  and  deaf  h(i\o\\i\  recovery,  and  Jhvii  has  promised  (v.  7a)  to  cure  them. 

(31)  Jhvii   had   been   pleased    to  raise    up    a    succession   of   prophets   (Jer.  21 
7,25).      The    writer    may    be    specially    thinking    of   the    great    and   gtorioiis 
])romises  of  Deut.  18. 

25  f32)    Babylon    to   a   faithful    j<w   is    no    better    than    a    dungeon    (so   v.  7).  22 

Cf.   Zech.  9,11. 

(33)   Again   one  must   lament  the  inconsistencies  of  the  Second   Isaiah    (see  43,3 
on   41  .  15).     The   richest   lands   in   the   world   he   would   see  given  up  to  pillage 
as  a  ransom  for  Israel.     I-'or  Seba,  see  on  (ien.  10,7. 

30  (34)   The  abrupt   transition   from    v.  S   to  v   9  forces  us  to  suppose  a  lacuna  8 

in  the  text.  The  appeal  already  made  in  v.  18  ought  surely  to  be  repeated 
in  a  somewhat  expanded  form  irf.  55,  i).  Wherefore  tvilt  ye  hold  your  peace 
when  Jiivir  pteads  -.I'itli  thv  nations.'  Can  ye  not  even  yet  see?  can  ye  not 
even  yet  hear,'      /.it    us    imnr    tugether    to   the  tribunal.      After    this    we    can 

35  understand  the  summons  addressed  to  the  nations. 

(35)  Alluding  to  chapter  41,  verse  27.  9 

(36)  In   witnessing   to  the  existence  of  the   predictions   now  being  wonder-  10 
fully   fulfilled,    Israel    will   be   led   to   draw   the  inference   that  Jhvh    is   its   deliv- 
erer, and  has  a  high  purpose  for  it. 

40  (37)  Compare  Deuteronomy,  chapter  32,  verse  12.  12 

(38)  Com|)are  F.xodus,  chapter  14,   verse  15.  17 

(39)  See  on   42,9,  and  (/!  40 ,  4  ;   41,  18.  19.     Fresh  victories  of  Cyrus  seem  19 
to   this   fervid  writer  like  the  putting  forth  of  leaves,   whii  h   heralds   tlie   ad\ent 

of  summer  (Matth.  24,32). 

45  (40)   The   natural    order   of  things    has    been   reversed.     Israel   should   have  22 

sued  for  Jiivii's  favor  with  words  and  acts  of  dutiful  love.  Instead  of  this,  it 
has  laid  upon  Jiivii  .a  heavy  burden,  which  only  His  fidelity  to  His  gracious 
|)urpose  could  have  induced  Him  to  accept.  He  has  been  compelled  (so  the 
prophet  would  say)  to  awaken  Israel   from  its  slumber,  and   devise   an  elaborate 

50  scheme  for  saving  it  from  the  further  consequences  of  its  sins.     It  is  true,    |n\  11 
did    not    impose    the    troublesome    sacrificial    system    on    the    Israelites    (Jer.  7, 


179  -^>f~ift»-QloUe  on  4  Joatafi -«s^^eH-! —  43,24-44,28 

22,23),  but   He   did  require  prayer  and   obedience.     These  higher  forms  of  sac-  43 
rifice  (as  the    Psalmists   regarded   them)    Israel    has   not   paid.      Tlie   pa.ssage   is 
awkwardly   expressed ;    the   author   is    too   literary,  and   thinks   of  parallelism   of 
phrase  rather  than  of  sense. 
5  (41)  /.  f.  by  thy  deliverance  from  that  e.\ile  whicli  was  thy  punishment.  24 

(42)  t.  e.  Jacob  (Hos.  12,4).  27 

(43)  i.  e.  the  priests  and   prophets  {cf.  Jer.  6,13;  23,11). 

(44)  i.  c.  by   the   practice   of  heathenish   cults,   2  Kings  21,3-5.7;   Ezekiel  2S 
8.3-17- 

10  145)  /.  c.  the  Upright  one,   a  poetical   title  of  Israel,  designating   the   nation  44,2 

under  its  ideal  character;  cf.  Deut.  32,15. 

(46)  Exile   to   the   ancients  was   national   death    (5,13.14).     The  life-giving  3 
spirit   must   first  of  all   reawaken  an   Israelitish   feeling,  so  that  the   thought  of 
belonging  to  Jacob,    or   Israel,  and  to   Israel's   God    is    a    source   of  pride  and 

15  happiness.  W'e  are  not  told  that  the  promise  includes  the  adoption  of  non- 
Israelites  into  the  favored  people  ;  that  is  reserved  for  a  later  revelation 
(55 1  5)-  At  present,  the  writer's  object  is  to  produce  in  Israelitish  exiles  a 
consciousness  of  ability  to  fulfil  Israel's  high  mission.  Nor  are  we  yet 
instructed  as   to  the    range  of   this    Israelitish    revival.     The  physical    and    the 

20  moral  lie  side  by  side  in  the  prophetic  description.  Later  on  we  shall  learn 
that  it  is  through  righteousness  that  the  new  Zion  will  be  established,  and 
that  all  Zion's  children  will  be  disciples  of  Juvh  (54,13.14).  The  figure  of 
the  outpouring  of  the  divine  spirit  is  a  favorite  one  with  late  writers ;  see 
32,15.16  (in  connection  with  moral  life);  Joel  2,28  (of  prophetic   inspiration); 

25  cf.  also  Ezek.  38,  1-14  (vision  of  the  Ary  bones),  Mai.  3,10  (the  poured  out 
physical  blessing). 

(47)  Tattooed   marks   originally  had   the   force   of  a   charm.     This   meaning,  5 
however,    is  inapplicable  here.     The  marks   are  a  sign  of  self-dedication  to  the 
service  of  the  true  God;  (contrast  Lev.  19,28).     So  Jhvh  Himself  has  engraved 

30  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  on  the  palms  of  His  hand  (49,  16),  as  a  pledge  that 
He  will  restore  them. 

(48)  This  explains  the  parallel  words  in  the  first  line  of  the  verse.  Israel 
(i.  e.,  virtually,  Israelite)  will  be  regarded  by  proselytes  as  the  highest  and 
most  flattering  of  titles. 

35  (49)   Verses  9-20  interrupt    the    context.     They   come    from    a    time  when  9 

the  Jews  had  become  earnest  preachers  of  monotheism.  The  writer  lacks  the 
poetic  gifts  of  the  Second  Isaiah  ;  his  description  is  cold  and  labored,  and 
scarcely  rhythmical  (r/.  Jer.  10,3-9). 

(50)  The    god    had   to    be   charmed    into    the    image   by   spells    (as   to   tliis  11 
40  day  in  India). 

(51)  Viz.,  that  Jhvh    alone    is  a   Rock    ( Deut.  32 . 4   &c. ),    and  alone    can  21 
prophesy  (vv.  7.8).     The  writer  of  vv.  9-20,  however,  took  these  things  to  mean 
the  foolish  practices  of  idolaters   (this  is  evident   from   46,8,    which   is   also  his 
work),  and  therefore  substituted   for  the  illegible  parts   of  the  original  text  two 

45  lines  (vv.  21^.22^)  containing  an  appeal  to  Israel  not  to  give  up  its  God,  but 
rather   to  return  from    its   wanderings    ((/.  31,6;  55,7.   both    inserted   passages). 

(52)  The   prophets   who    foretold    the    close   of   the    Babylonian    Exile   from  26 
Jeremiah  onwards  are  contrasted  1  see  v.  25 )  with  the  Babylonian  soothsayers. 

(53)  My  friend,    as    Zech.  13.7.     The   king's  fi-iend  was    the    first   of   his  28 
50  courtiers;  cf.  2  Sam.  15,37,  and   the  title   o(  friends  given  to  a  certain  class   of 

Egyptian  courtiers. 

(54)  This  passage   seems  referred   to   by  the   Chronicler   in   the   edict   which 


45. I -S 


— **e«^S»-  (VLotce  on  4  ^oata^  ■ 


1 80 


he  ascril)es  to  Cyrus  (2  Chroii.  36,231.  In  liis  time  v.  28  was  doubtless  44 
already  increased  by  the  addition  of  the  words  .-//«/  //la/  he  should  say  &c., 
which  are  properly  a  variant  to  the  reading  (see  AV)  in  the  text  of  v.  26,  line 
2,  and  describe  the  purpose  of  Jhvh  to  cause  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  and 
5  the  Temple,  but  which  in  their  new  position  seem  to  be  a  prophecy  of  the 
rebuilding  of  both  by  Cyrus. 

(55)  The  Babylonian  empire  fell  unregretted  even  by  the  H.ibylonians.  45,1 
Tlie  last  king  ( Nabil-na'id,  555-538)  had  l)urdened  his  people  with  hea\y 
ta,\es  to  defray  the  cost  of  his  buildings,  and  shown  himself  generally  unequal 
10  to  his  regal  duties.  The  command  of  his  army  he  liad  entrusted  to  his  son 
Bel-shar-ut;ur  ( Belshazzar),  devoting  himself  meanwhile,  among  other  things,  to 
antiquarian  researches  which  enabled  him  to  rebuild  the  temple  of  the  Sun-god 
at    Sippara    on     its     ancient    site.      His    piety,    too,    was    not    in   accordance    with 


^  u. 


?J[lri.  l^llM  lll/i^pj,       liliJtN..it.^^l.,.„„l.   „    imJn.    1  ,||„|f| 


..«      >»'     I    '11. I 


SHRlNh 


N 


n  \r  sipp\KA 


the    prejudices   of   the    priesthoods,    whether   of  Babylon   or  of   the   other  cities 
15  of   the    land.        The    marcli    of  Cyrus   was  therefore  greeted   with   acclamations, 

and    Baliylon    ojiened    its    gates    to    U.gbaru    (Gobryas),    the    .general   of  Cyrus. 

In   the   cylinder   inscription   of  Cyrus    ( which    doubtless   represents   the   views   of 

the   priests   of  Babylon),  we   read  (line  12):  (Jl/crodach  was)    concerned  for  the 

righteous   Idng   ivhoiii   he  bore  in   his    heart,    of  whose  hand  he  took  hold,  for 
20  k'urash    (Cyrus),    king    of  the    city   of  Ansban ;    his    name    he   proclaimed,  for 

the  sovereignty  of  the  ivhole  -world  ivas  his   name  published.     Compare  Savck, 

A'ecords  of  the  Past.   New  Series,  Vol.  \-,  p.  165. 

(5'')    (f-    Ps.  107,16.     Grote,    however,    writing    before    the   Cyrus    inscrip-  2 

tions    were    discoxered,    remarks    that    //    is    certain    that    the    z'ast    -walls    and 
25  .gates   (of  Babylon)    -were    left    untouched.     The    true    greatness   of   the   Second 

Isaiah  does  not  lie  in  circumstantial  prediction. 

{57)  See  note  20  on  41,26.  (58)  See  on  51,9.  3.7 

(59)   Another   refreshing   lyric   intermezzo.     The   poet    calls    for  a   bridal  of  8 


i8i  — »*eS«€iSs- QXofce  on  4  36aia5  •sS*«€i?*«-«^ —  45.9-46,1 

the   earth   and  s^y   {cf.   Hos.  2,21.22;    Ps.  85,  11),    issuing    in    the    redemption  45 
of  Israel. 

(60)  Some   of  the  exiles   murmur    at    the    selection   of  Cyrus   for   deliverer.  9 
Not    comprehending   the   high    mission   of  Israel,    they   hanker  after  a  victorious 

5  king  of  their  own  race.  Thus  they  virtually  deny  at  once  the  power  of  the 
Creator  to  choose  His  own  instruments  and  the  essential  rightness  of  His  choice 
(see  V.  13,  in  righleonsness).  The  figure  of  the  potter  occurs  again  in  29,16 
and  64 ,  8,  both  post-E.xilic  passages. 

(61)  The  words  concerning  my  sons  are  an  incorrect  gloss;  cf,  29,23.     The  11 
10  ivorl:  of  God's   hands   is   not    Israel,    but    the   group   of  events   centring    in    the 

deliverance  of  Israel  by  Cyrus. 

(62)  The  conquest  of  these  nations  was  permitted  (48,3)  as  a  compensation  14 
to   Cyrus   for  his   liberation   of  Israel.     It   is  now  added   that  the  captives  taken 
by  Cyrus   shall   pass   before  the  liberated  captives  of  Israel    [cf.  v.  13).  and  con- 

15  fess  the  sole  divinity  of  Israel's  God.  The  stature  of  these  foreigners  is  specially 
mentioned,  as  adding  to  the  interest  of  the  procession.  Isaiah  had  long  ago 
been  struck  by  the  tallness  of  the  Ethiopian  ambassadors  (18,2);  cf.  Herod. 
3 ,  20.  Giants  in  fetters  would  be  a  still  better  spectacle.  For  the  idea  of  the 
whole  passage,  cf.  Enoch  90,30,  where  the  homa.ge  of  the  Gentiles  is  anticipated 

20  with  delight. 

(63)  Strictly  speaking,   they   pray   through    Israel    (as  a   prophetic   mediator)  18 
to  Jhvh,  who  has  hidden  Himself  to  all   the  world  except   Israel.     In  Judah  is 
God  made  l;noivn  (Ps.  76,  i). 

(64)  This  is  a  new  revelation,  and  therefore  introduced  by  a  fresh  assertion 
25  of  the   creatorship   of  Jhvh  {cf.  v.  12;   42,5;   44,24),   for  it   is   as  Creator   that 

the  one  true  God  is  also  the  director  of  history.  But  this  declaration  contains 
a  new  feature,  viz.,  that  the  world  was  made  with  an  object :  it  was  to  be  the 
home  of  man.  The  new  revelation  is  thus  prepared  for,  viz.,  that  in  His 
direction  of  the  course  of  history  Jhvh  has  also  had  an  object,  and  that,  though 

30  at  first  this  may  have  seemed  to  be  limited  to  Israel,  it  will  now  be  seen  to  be 
coextensive  with  the  human  race.  Just  now  the  Egyptians  and  others,  who  have 
saved  their  lives  but  not  their  liberty,  have  marveled  at  the  mysteriousness  of 
Jhvh.  To  Israel,  thanks  to  the  ever  clear  voice  of  prophecy,  the  purposes  of 
Jhvh  have  been  free  from  mystery,  and  now  prophecy  utters  its  voice  again  for 

35  the  whole  of  mankind.  Let  all  those  who  have  been  spared  in  the  great  con- 
vulsion of  nations  come  together  [cf.  41,1.21;  43,9),  and  confess  the  folly  of 
idolatry  and  the  sole  divinity  of  the  self-revealing  God.  They  shall  then  hear 
the  great  news  that  for  them,  too,  there  is  deliverance,  though  not  (till  they 
receive  religious  instruction?)  equality  with  Israel.     Observe,  the  prophet  assumes 

40  that  a  large  part  of  mankind  will  be  destroyed  in  the  wars  of  Cyrus  (cf.  41  ,  15). 
He  exaggerates  the  number  of  the  enemies  of  Israel,  which  has  surely  not  yet 
become  odium  humani  generis. 

(65)  Cf.  48,16. —  (66)    i.  e.    in   .Sheol,    alluding    to    the   oracles   of  the   gods  19 
of  the  underworld,  or  of  the  spirits  of  the  dead.      Cf.  on  57,9  (end). 

45  (67)   The   gods   of    Babylonia   were    carried   about    in    sacred    boats    at    the  20 

great  festivals,  especially  at  that  of  the  New  Year.     See  note  8,  on  40  ,  20. 

(68)    A    fragment    of    a    son.g    of    derision    on    the    expected    captivity    of  46,1 
Babylon,    which   serves   as    a   text    for    an    address    to    the    Jewisli   exiles.     See 
note  I,  on  40 ,  i. 
50  (69)    Bel   or   Merodach    ( Babyl.   Marditl;;   see  p.  157)    was   the  di\ine  patron 

of  Babylon,  Nebo  (Babyl.  Nabi'i)  of  Borsippa.  Between  these  two  gods  (father 
and  son )  the  supreme  divine  power  was  divided.  Their  sacred  images,  the 
poet  says,  are   packed   up   to   accompany  their   captive   worshipers.      Clearly   he 


46,3-48.  22 


^^*6^*S3f  (TlotcB  on  4  3''a"i5  -«3**&»«-« — 


182 


w  rolL-  Itc/ori:  the  lall  uf  ILibyluii  (538  j 
cylindrr  iiisci'iplion,  was  friendly  lo  the 
of  liabyluii. 

(70)  See  on  45  ,  20. 
5  (71)  The        Babylo- 

nians have  had,  and  sli 
have,  to  carry  their  gods  ; 
the  Israelites  have  been, 
and  still  are,  carried  by 

10  their  God.  The  religion 
of  the  one  people  in- 
volves much  labor,  and 
cannot  avert  disaster ; 
that  of  the  other  is  simple 

15  (see  on  43,  24  I.  and  en- 
sures the  national  con- 
tinuance. The  Israelitish 
people  is  regarded  as  a 
living    organism,    which 

20  passes  through  succes- 
sive stages  of  existence, 
like  a  human  being  (cf. 
Ps.  71 ,  iS). 

(72)  To  our  prophet, 
25  the   triumph   of    Israel's 

cause  is  a  manifestation 
of  Jhvh's  righteousness 

(C/"-  45.8)- 

( 73 )  The  writer  sup- 
30  poses     erroneously    that 

Babylon    has    never  yet 

been    conquered.       For 

the    figure,    see    23,12, 

and  cf.  on  i  ,  S. 
35  (74)    An     e.xaggera- 

tion  like  42  .  22. 

(75)  Alluding  to  the 

signs  of  the  zodiac,  which 

are  of  Babylonian  origin  ; 
40  (see  next  page). 

confidential    announcement 


fur    Cyrus, 
people   and 


as    we 
reverent 


know    from 
to   the   relit 


his 
ion 


46 


This    passage    must    be 


(76)  The  lucky  and 
unlucky  days  were  care-  3 
fully  noted  in  the  Assy- 
rian and  Babylonian  cal- 
endar. We  still  possess 
many  of  the  monthly  re- 
ports of  the  official  Assy- 
rian astronomers  and 
astrologers. 

(77)  The  genuine  48.1 
part  of  this  chapter  is 
largely  made  up  of  repe- 
titions. Before  ventur- 
ing on  fresh  teachings, 
the  writer  would  fain 
once  more  impress  the 
argument  from  prophecy 
and     the     doctrine      of 

hvh's    creatorship    on 
his  readers.     The  post- 
Exilic    editor,    however,   12 
was      dissatisfied,      and 
actually     interlaced    the 
Second     Isaiah's     work 
with  severe   reproachful 
remarks     addressed     to  47 . ' 
his  own  contemporaries, 
who  had  fallen  back,  as 
he  considered,   into   ob- 
stinate   unbelief.       The 
largest  mass  of  inserted 
m.itter    is    in    \v.  16- ig,   6 
where  the  editor  (utter- 
ing,   as    he    thinks,    the  13 
mind     of     the     original 
writer)    makes   what   he 
regards    as    a    new    and 
taken  together    with    Ps. 


8i,5i'-i6,  a  lyric  fragment  of  the  Persian  period  (538-323).  The  foes  of  Israel 
are  as  powerful  as  ever,  and  even  the  national  existence  seems  threatened.  In 
touching  language  (for  here  he  is  himself,  and  not  a  mere  interpolator)  the 
45  writer,  who  is  conscious  of  inspiration  (see  v.  16),  and  can  therefore  speak  for 
his  God,  expresses  the  sorrow  of  Jhvh  for  the  disobedience  which  has  rendered 
this  punishment  necessary.  This  composite  chapter  is  closed  by  a  lyric  outburst 
of  the  Second  Isaiah.    CC.  49-55  were  appended  in  the  time  of  Ezra  (p.-  131,  1.  32). 

(78)  /.  e.  from   the   time   that   Cyrus's  great  career   began,  Jhvh   has   been,   16 
50  as   it  were,  watching  the  fulfilment  of  His  predictions  and   guarding   His  chosen 

instnmient.     The   gloss  and  vow  &c.    presupposes  a  different  and  a  wrong  \iew 
of  the  meaning.     The  reference  to  the  spirit  of  Jhvh  recalls  61  ,  i. 

(79)  Alluding  to  Genesis  22,  17;  13,  16.  19 

(80)  Taken  by  the  last  editor  from  57,21.  22 


1 83 


— »*s§e@Ss-  QXoUe  on  4  Jeata^  «iS?»gs>i-s — 


49 , 6-12 


(8i)  Verses  i-6  form  the  second  poem  on  the  Servant  of  Jhvh.  Here  49,6 
that  great  personage  speaks  of  himself.  He  tells  us  that  in  spite  of  his  long 
preparation  and  divine  gifts  he  has  had  moments  of  discouragement  in  his 
work  (among  the  Israelites),  but  that  he  has  conquered  his  depression  by 
5  faith.  He  adds  that  a  fresh  revelation  has  now  been  granted  him,  to  the  effect 
that  his  prophetic  activity  is  not  henceforth  to  be  confined  to  Israel,  though 
he  must  finish  his  work  of  raising  up  the  tribes  of  Jacob  before  he  can 
appropriate  the  privilege  of  a  wider  service.  The  expressions  used  here  imply 
that  the  Genius  of  Israel  (denominated  in  this  prophecy  the  Servant  of  jHru; 
10  see  on  42 ,  i )  took  visible  shape  in  those  prophetic  teachers  who,  like  our 
author  and  his  fellows,  strove  to  prepare  the  e.\iles  for  the  great  change  in 
their  prospects,  and  some  of  whom,  as  certain  Psalms  show,  endeavored  to 
carry  on  this  work  under  the  altered  conditions  of  the  reorganized  Judean 
community. 


BABYLONIAN   SIGNS  OF  THE  ZODIAC. 

15  (82)    (5^.52,14.15.     Observe   that    the    sermon    has  a    far    narrower    range  7 

than  the  text. 

(S3)  See  note  27,   on  42,  5.6,  where  however  the  reference  is  not,  as  here,  8 
to  the  people  of  Israel,  but  to  the  human  race. 

(84)   An    introductory   distich    on  the   gathering   of  the   dispersed  of   Israel  12 

20  has  fallen  out.  V.  12,  as  given  in  our  corrected  te.xt,  mentions  the  three 
chief  centres  of  the  Jewish  dispersion,  viz.  Babylonia  {the  end  of  ilie  earth, 
cf.  41,9),  the  maritime  lands  (cf.  11,11),  and  Egypt  (Jer.  44,1),  the  southern 
limit  of  which  was  Syene  (properly  the  island  of  Elephantine,  a  little  to  the 
north   of  the    first    cataract  of  the  Nile).     The  correction  of  Sinim  to  Sewenim 

25  is  very  slight.  The  Si)iim  of  the  Received  Te.xt  cannot  be  satisfactorily 
explained  ;  the  identification  with  the  Chinese  is  philologically  untenable.  Syene 
is  referred  to  in  Ezek.  29 ,  10  ;  30 ,  6. 


49.16-51. 9  ^►^ej^fie- (Jloft'e  on  4  ']ea\a^  -f!mt^-('^- —  1S4 

(85)  See  note  46,   011  i;li.ii)trr  44,   verse  3.  49.  16 

(86)  /.  r.  the  exiles  from  Babylon  (^ so  54,  13).  17 

(87)  According    to    a    |.)riniitive    conception,    a   city   or  a    coimtry   was    the  21 
mother  of  its   inhabitants,    and   if  the    latter   were   removed  to    a    foreign   land, 

5  it   was   as   if  their   relation    to    their    mother   were    canceled    (r/.  23,4).     Hence 
Zion's  exclamation  of  surprise. 

(88)  Zion,    who    still    dreads    the    Babylonian   power    (49,12.13),    asks    an  24 
incredulous   question.     The   implied   answer    is   in   the   affirmative,    and   its  justi- 
fication is  furnished  by  v.  25  :  Babylon  shall  be  made  to  disgorge  its  prey. 

:o  (89)   Two    fresh    figures.       In    v.   14    Jhvh    is    presented    as    Zion's    father,  50,1 

but  as  showing  more  than  a  mother's  love  ('/.  31,5).  Here  He  speaks  as 
her  husband,  by  whom  she  has  been  dismissed,  but  not  formally  divorced. 
Then  He  addresses  Himself  to  the  Israelites,  and  denies  that  He  has  sold 
them    (as   Hebrew  parents   did   with   their  children,   when  in  debt;   see  2  Kings 

154,1)  to  any  human  creditors.  Zion  and  her  children  can,  therefore,  easily  be 
restored.  But  why  do  they  not  respond,  it  is  asked,  to  the  preaching  of  His 
pi  0|)llet  ? 

(90)  A   soliloquy   of  the   Scrvaii/,    describing    the    indignities   which   he   has  4 
had    to   sutler    in    tile    course    of  his    prophetic    career.      It    forms   the    third    poem 

20  of  the  cycle,   and  le.ids  on  to  52,  13-53,  12. 

(91)  (Ty.  42 ,  2 . 3.  The  Scrvaiii's  mission  is  to  persuade.  He  is  sent  first 
of  all  to  the  'weary  (c'f-  Matth.  11,28),  because  these  at  any  rate  feel  their 
inward  poverty,  and  he  works  upon  them  with  divinely  given  words.  True, 
he    can    sometimes    speak    sharply    (49,2),    but  failhful   are    the    wounds   of  a 

25  friend. 

(92)  Tlie  Servant  is  no  longer  spiritually  deaf,  but  receives  those  daily 
revel.itions  which  tile  interpreter  of  God's  truth  needs.      Cf.  Wordsworth  : 

Teacli  me  with  quick-eared  spirit  to  rejoice 
In  admonitions  of  thy  softest  voice. 

30  The  later  writers  often  describe  Jhvh  as  a  Teacher  (see  on  30,  20). 

(93)  So  Jeremiah,  the  type  of  the  Servant  (Jer.  17,61.  5 

(94)  So  Jeremiah    again    (Jer.  20,7);  Job,    the    type   of   humanity   and    of  6 
Israel    (Job  30,10);    penitent    Israel    itself    (Lam.  3,30);    and    the    Genius    of 
Israel  elsewhere  (Pss.  22 ,  7  ;  69,  7). 

35  (95)    In   several   of    the    ]3ost-Exilic    Psalms   tlie   word   arroivs   is   used    ligu-  11 

ratively  (cf.  Prov.  25,18)  for  the  malicious  slanders  to  wliich  the  fulhful 
portion  of  the  Jewish  community  was  exposed  from  foes  without  and  within 
(see  I'ss.  57,4;  58,7;  64.3).  Troubles  of  this  sort  may  be  referred  to  here. 
.•\  simil.u'  retaliation  is  threatened  in  Ps.  120,2-4. 

40  196)    Compare  chapter  66,  verses  23  and  24. 

(97)  The    three    parts    of    this   chapter   (r/;.  vv.  1-8;    9-16;    17-23)    '"■>>'■  5i.  i 
perhaps,  have  been  originally  independent  passages. 

(98)  Compare   Hebrews  11,12;  Matthew  3,9. 

(99)  The   furthest  point  which  Hebrew  personification  has   reached.     There  9 
45  are   various  expressions  for  the   self-revealing   aspect  of  the  Deity  ( the   Arm  of 

InvH  is  one  of  them  ;  </.  40,10;  63,12);  but  only  here  is  that  personified 
aspect  directly  addressed. 

(too)    In   45,7  the    prophet    lias    contradictetl    Oriental     du.ilisni  ;    light    and 

darkness,    he   says,    were   alike   ordained   by  Jhvh.      But   he   does   not  reject  the 

50  traditional  myths   which  speak  of  a   conflict  between  the  God   of  light  and  the 


i85  -T^*e*e@Ss- Qtofce  on  4  38aia5 -i»^|eM-^-  51,10-53,13 

rebellious  monsters  of  darkness,  such  myths  as  are  alluded  to  in  Job  9,  13;  51 
25,2;  26,  12.  13,  and  are  so  fully  described  in  the  sacred  texts  of  Babylon  and 
Egypt  (see  note  on  30,7,  with  illustration).  If  Jhvh,  once  for  all,  subjugated 
these  rebels,  it  must  have  been  in  that  remote  antiquity  in  which  His  almighti- 
5  ness  was  most  conspicuously  displayed.  To  this  great  deed  the  prophet  refers 
when  appealing  to  Jhvh  to  put  down  Babylon,  lest  this  hostile  power  should 
quench  the  light  of  true  religion  which  shines  in  Israel  in  endless  darkness. 
Rahab  is  one  of  the  names  of  the  chief  antagonists  of  Jhvh  (30,7;  Job  9,  13; 
26,12);   the    Dragon   or   Leviathan    (Job  3,8;    7,12;   c/".  Is.  27 ,  i )  was  another. 

10  See  the  Babylonian  epic  of  Creation  (referred  to  on  Gen.  i),  and  the  Egyptian 
Book  of  the  Dead,  c.  15  :  Hail  to  thee,  ivho  slaughterest  the  Sebau,  and  annilii- 
latest  Apepi  (the  dragon  of  darkness).  The  sea  and  the  great  ocean  are  the 
primeval  waters  of  chaos ;  the  depths  of  the  sea,  however,  are  those  through 
which,  by  the  power  of  God,  the  Israelites  passed  on  dry  land  (E.x.  15,  ig). 

15  (  loi  )    A   natural   transition   of  thought.     After  the   Exile   Rahab  and   Lcvia-  10 

than  became  symbols  of  the  hostile  powers  of  the  world  ( Pss.  74,  13.  14;   87,4; 
89,10;    Is.  27,1),  especially  Egypt.      Cf.  also  Ezek.  29,3;  32,2. 

(102)  Verse  11  is  inserted  from  chapter  35,  verse  10.  11 

(103)  See  the  note  on  chapter  59,  verse  21.  16 

20  (104)  Alluding  to  Jer.  25,  15;   cf.   Ezek.  23,32-34;  Fs.  75,8.  17 

( 105 )   Contrast  the  song  of  derision  on  Babylon,  chapter  47.  53  ,  i 

(io5)   The    writer    wishes    to    express    the    illegitimateness    of    the    several  5 
oppressions  of  Israel.     In   Egypt   Israel  claimed  the  privileges  of  a  guest ;   and 
even   Assyria  paid  nothing  to  Jhvh    for    the    right  of   subjugating   His   people. 

25  And  now,  as  to  Babylon,  what  advantage  has  accrued  to  fni'H  from  the 
carrying  azuay  of  Israel  into  exile?  Here  =  m  Babylonia;  the  writer  at  any 
rate  believes  himself  to  write  as  the  Second  Isaiah  would  have  written,  though 
he  is  far  from  having  adopted  the  style  or  the  ideas  of  that  great  writer, 
and  though  the   expression  here  is  strictly  speaking  inconsistent  with   thetice  in 

30  V.   II. 

(107)  Compare  Psalm  44,  verses  14  and  16. 

(108)  See  on  chapter  40,  verse  9,  and  compare  Nahuni  i  ,  15a.  7 

(109)  Compare  Numbers  14,  14:  For  Thou,  fHVH,   art  seen  eye  to  eye.  8 
(no)  Six   years   before   the   destruction   of  Jerusalem  (586),    Ezekiel   already 

35  thought  that  Jhvh  had  forsaken  it  (Ezek.  i),  and  that  to  destroy  the  city 
He  would  have  to  return  to  it  (Ezek.  8).  So  Nabu-na'id,  the  last  king  of 
Babylon  (555-53S),  speaks  of  the  Moon-god  as  having  forsaken  the  city  of 
Haran.     Cf.  63  ,  1 7  ;  Zech.  2 ,  10-12. 

(in)    In   45,13  it  is   said  that  Cyrus  shall  rebuild   Jhvh's  city   (Jerusalem),   11 

40  and  in  44 ,  26  that  the  foundations  of  the  Temple  shall  be  laid  again.  What 
more  natural  than  that  the  returning  exiles  shall  carry  back  with  them  the 
sacred  vessels  which  Nebuchadnezzar  had  taken  to  Babylon?  That  the  writer 
lays  .so  little  stress  on  the  recovery  of  the  vessels,  need  not  surprise  us.  He 
would    certainly   have    desired    an    extremely   simple    sacrificial    system    ((/43, 

45  22-24). 

(112)  Thus   modifying    the    injunction   in   48,20.     Not  in  flight   (as   at   the  12 
first  Exodus,   see   Deut.  16,3;  Ex.  12,11);   because  of  the  blind  and   the  lame, 
the  women  and  the  children  (Jer.  51,38). 

(113)  Compare  Micah  2 ,  13  (a  late  insertion). 

50  (114)  The  climax  of  the  poetical  oracles  on  the  Servant.     A  fuller  descrip-  13 

tion   than   before   is   given   of   the   sufferings   of   the   .Servant.     The   chief   .stre.ss, 
however,  is   not  laid   upon   these,    but   upon   the   announcement  of  his    glorifica- 


53.1-4  — »*Kg^ai- (Jlofce  on  4  3»aia? -sewSE*** —  186 

tion.  WliL-n  this  prophecy  is  fulfillL-d,  tht  whole  world  will  be  astonished,  and  52 
the  prophet  hardly  ventures  to  let  it  cross  his  lips,  even  among  his  own 
disciples,  fearing  to  make  too  great  a  demand  upon  their  faith.  He  accom- 
panies it  with  a  sketch  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Servant  (for  which  he  and 
5  his  are,  he  feels,  partly  responsible),  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  heightened 
contrast  thus  produced,  Init  to  explain  the  divine  purpose  in  permitting,  or 
to  speak  more  boldly  and  more  correctly,  in  causing  those  sufferings.  The 
e.xpressions  used  are  of  a  more  individualizing  character  than  ever  before,  and 
suggest  that  the   writer  must  have  been  thinking  of  some  famous  martyrs,  such 

10  as  Job,  whose  story  in  some  form  was  probably  already  in  existence,  and  the 
prophet  Jeremiah,  whose  death  may  be  referred  to  in  Zech.  12,  10  (post-Exilic) 
as  having  brought  guilt  on  the  coinmunity.  They  remind  us  of  some  Psalms 
which  have  often  been  ascribed  to  Jeremiah,  but  which  are  better  regarded 
as  Psalms  of  the  personified  community  of  faithful  Israel,  written  at  a  time  when 

15  the  life  and  fortunes  of  Jeremiah  seemed  like  a  picture  of  the  life  and  fortunes 
of  Israel.  Of  these  Psalms  the  most  striking  are  Ps.  22  and  Ps.  69,  and  the 
former  in  particular  is  strikingly  parallel  to  Is.  53,  both  in  the  singular  promi- 
nence of  the  individualizing  features,  and  in  the  spiritual  perfection  of  the 
character  portrayed.     Both  compositions  refer,  not  to   Israel  as  a   whole,  but  to 

20  Israel  in  so  far  as  it  embodied  the  Genius  of  Israel,  i.  e.  to  the  prophetic 
teachers  (e.  ff.  Jeremiah)  and  their  disciples.  These  noble  Israelites  were  not 
indeed  perfect,  but  the  Genius  which  inspired  them  was  perfect ;  and  it  was  in 
virtue  of  this  that  they  could  prevail.  In  them,  to  the  eye  of  faith,  the  Genius 
of  Israel   preached  and  suffered,  and,   in  spite  of  appearances,  overcame.     Their 

25  sufferings  (whether  they  always  culminated  in  a  violent  death  or  not),  meekly 
borne,  were  profitable  (see  note  120,  on  53,4)  to  the  whole  community.  They 
prepared  the  way  for  others  to  fulfil  Israel's  grand  mission  to  the  world  at  large. 

(115)  The  object  of  this  couplet  is  twofold:  (a)  it  explains  how  it  came  to  5Z,^ 
pass   that  the   kings   had  never  heard   of  the  Servant  and  his  high  mission,  and 

30  (b)  it  prepares  the  reader  to  expect  something  very  wonderful  from  the  following 
prophetic  poem.  The  speaker  is  the  poet  or  prophet  himself,  who  admits  in  the 
sequel  that  previously  he  had  himself  been  no  wiser  than  his  fellow-countrymen. 
Even  now  he  and  his  fellow-prophets  stand  alone ;  it  needs  a  prophetic  ear  ( cf. 
50,4)   to   hear  with  intelligence  and  faith  so  strange  a  revelation.     The  Arm  of 

35  JHVH  means  His  wonderful  power  as  exhibited  in  the  contrasting  events  of  the 
life  of  His  Servant. 

(116)  Such   was   the   external   appearance  of  the   meek   and   lowly  men  who  2 
exemplified   and   taught   the   prophetic  religion  before  and   at   the   outset  of   the 
Exile.     The   Israelites   in   general   .saw   nothing   to   admire    in    them.     Before  us 

40  =  in  our  judgment.  The  writer  speaks  as  if  he  and  his  readers  had  taken 
part  in  the  opposition  to  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  ;  doubtless  he  still  believes,  to 
some  extent,  that  the  children  are  punished  for  the  sins  of  the  fathers  [cf. 
Lam.  5,7)- 

(117)  Cf.    49,7;  Jer.    20,7;    Lam.    3,14;  Job  19,14.18   (Job    is    partly   a  3 
45  symbol   of  Israel)  ;    Pss.  22,  6.  7  ;   31  ,  11  .  12. 

(iiS)  Compare  Psalm  88,  i<S ;  Job  17,  14. 

(119)  Like  a  leper;  cf.  Job  19,13-19;  30,10;  Lam.  4,15;  Wisdom  2,16.      4 

(120)  In    the    Psalms,    the    community,     suflTering    under  a   sense   of    God's 
displeasure,  is  described   as  a   sick  man   (see  e.g.  Pss.  6,1-3;  38,3-7).     The 

50  relatively  innocent  suffer,  not  only  with,  but  for  the  guilty,  by  a  free  moral 
act.  They  accept  the  national  calamity  as  a  chastisement  sent  for  Israel's  good 
(cf.  Job  5.17),  and  by  their  lives  and  death  they  reach  more  than  they  could 
by  their  sermons. 

(121)  The  Vulgate  renders,  quasi  leprosiiDt  'as   a  leper,'  to  which    rendering 


18/  — »*6^«S>  (llofcB  on  4  3saio6 -«S»fsM-» —  53. 7-55.  n 

we   may   partly   trace   the   mediexal   sytiipatliy   for   lepers.     Leprosy   was   tlioip^ht  53 
to    be    a    direct     st)-okc   from    God     [cf.    Lev.   13,3.9.20),     a    punishment    for 
grievous    sin   (Num.  12,9.10;   2  Kings  15,5).     Hence  partly  the  unjust  accusa- 
tions of  Job's  friends. 
5  (122)    Referring   probably  not  to  persecutions  of  Jeremiah   and   his   followers  7 

(see  V.  8,  end),  but  to  the  troubles  of  the  opening  years  of  the  Exile  (cf. 
Lam.  4.5).  It  was  God  who  dea/l  rigorously  with  the  Servant;  God,  of 
whom  Job  says  that  He  J-an  upon  /lim  like  a  ivarrior  (Job  16,41.  It  seems 
to   have   struck   both   the   prophet   and  the  poet  that  in  time  of  national   trouble 

10  the  best  men  suffered  most. 

(123)  Such  is  the  ideal  of  the  Israelite,  according  to  Lam.  3,28.29. 
The  image  of  the  lamb  is  suggested  by  Jer.  11,  19,  where,  however,  Jeremiah 
is  only  Iamb-like  till  he  has  become  acquainted  with  the  devices  of  his 
persecutors. 

15  (124)    His   sore   afflictions   ended   (jnly  witli   his   death.     But   his   countrymen  8 

never  asked  themselves  whether  this  hard  fate  (lit.  way;  compare  Vs.  37,5) 
might  not  stand  in  some  moral  connection  with  themselves  ( somewhat  as 
57,1).  To  a  similar  sufferer  the  scornful  speech  in  Ps.  22,8  (Let  him  roll 
his  fate,  i.  e.,   let  him  lay  his  cares,  on  JHVH  &c. )  is  addressed. 

20  (125)   One  so  grievously  afflicted   must  (as  people  thought)   be  a   grievous  9 

sinner,  and  was  therefore  buried  apart  from  other  men,  beside  notorious 
criminals.  The  well-known  rendering  of  AV,  and  luith  the  rich  in  his  death,  is 
more  than  probably  based  on  a  corruption  of  the  text.  To  be  with  the  rich 
after  death  would  moreover  be  a  distinction  inconsistent  with  the  context. 

25  (126)    Sacrificial    phraseology    is    used,    as    in    vv.  4.6.11,  symbolically.      If   10 

the  Servant  were  to  sacrifice  himself  for  the  good  of  the  community,  he  would 
live  again  in  those  whom  be  had  awakened  to  a  new  spiritual  life.  There  is  no 
figure  here,  for  the  Genius  which  inspired  the  prophetic  martyrs  could  not  die. 
The  passage,   however,   has  become  mutilated,  and   we  can  only  draw  hesitating 

30  inferences  by  the  help  of  some  probable  emendations. 

(127)  Zion  has  been  punished,  but  not  divorced  by  her  husband,  and  is  now  54,6 
recalled   to   favor.      Cf.   Esth.  2 ,  14  :  .S7;<'  came   in    to   the   king   no   more,   e.vcepl 

the  king  delighted  in  her,   and  that  she  icere  called  by  name. 

(128)  When  the  work  of  the   Servant  is  completed  (53,  11),  all  the  children   13 
35  of  Zion  will   be,  like   himself  (50,4),  disciples   of  the   divine  Teacher,     t^'.  Jer. 

31 ,  34  ;  Joel  2 ,  28 .  29. 

(129)  Guilt    is    regarded    as    a    debt,    the    non-payment    of   which    can    be  16 
brought   to   God's    knowledge   either   by  an   offended   person   (e.  g.   Nebuchad- 
nezzar, Ezek.  21,23),  or  by  a  prophet   {e.g.  Elijah,   i  Kings  17,  iS),  or  by  the 

40  Satan  (Zech.  3,1).  A  destroyer  has  been  specially  created  to  take  from  God's 
human  debtors  a  pledge  that  their  debt  will  be  paid  in  full.  But  Israel's  debt 
has  been  abundantly  paid  (40,2);  it  has  nothing  more  to  fear  from  any 
accuser  or  destroyer  in  heaven  or  on  earth. 

(130)  Alluding  to  2  Samuel,  chapter  7,  verses  8 -16.  55,3 
45          (131)  David's  appointed  work  of  uniting  the  nations  under  a  single  righteous  4 

king  could  only  be  effected  by  a  witness  or  preacher  of  the  truth,  and  this 
witness  or  preacher  was  to  be  (as  this  prophetic  writer  knows)  the  regenerated 
people  of  Israel.     Contrast  the  picture  of  David  in  Ps.  18,37-45. 

(132)  Compare  Isaiah,  chapter  49,  verse  8.  6 

50  (133)   Cf.  44,26;  45,23.     Prophecy  was   regarded   as   having   a  self-fulfilling  11 

power. 


19. 


Qtofce  on  5  3*'>'<'3  -sesSs*** — 


iSS 


Part  V. 


(Itotce   on   (prop^ccp  l. 


(pp.  97-99) 

(I)  There  are  three  strata  in  c.  19,  and  it  is  scarcely  probable  that  even  19, 
the  earliest  is  Isaiah's  work.  It  is  true  that  in  711  Isaiah  expected  an  Assyrian 
invasion  of  Egypt,  and  that  the  Assyrian  king  Sargon  (722-705)  might  htly  be 
called  a  hard  lord  (v.  4;  cf.  14,  29).  But  there  is  a  want  of  concreteness  in  the 
description  which  is  not  Isaianic,  and  (besides  other  adverse  phenomena)  a 
want  of  originality  which  points  to  the  imitative  period  par  c.vceltcnce  of 
Hebrew  literature,  viz.  the  post-Exilic.     The  cruelties  of  Cambyses  in  Egypt  (528) 

fully  entitle  him  to  be  called  a  ^«";rf  king. 
The  Second  Isaiah  had  already  promised 
Egypt,  Ciish,  and  Scba  to  Cyrus  (  43  ,  3); 
but  it  was  Cambyses  who  carried  out 
what  Cyrus,  perhaps,  had  planned.  It 
is  safe  to  suppose  that  the  main  part  of 
the  prophecy  was  written  not  later  than 
485  (reconquest  of  Egypt  by  Xer.xes), 
but  possibly  soon  after  528  (Cambyses). 

(2)  Whenever  the  central  authority  2 
in  Egypt  received  a  shock,  the  governors 
of  the  iioines  (which  had  formerly  been 
principalities)  asserted  their  independ- 
ence. This  the  writer  may  easily  have 
known. 

(3)  No  doubt  this  would  be  the  3 
course  adopted  by  the  Egyptians  in  any 
sore  calamity.  Magic  was  at  all  times 
much  cultivated  in  Egypt,  and  more 
especially  in  the  period  of  its  decadence 
(see  Maspero's  Co?iics).  But  the  form 
of  expression,  especially  in  v.  3,  11.  r  and 
(/  ( (/.  8,  19),  is  Palestinian. 

(4)  Verses  5-10  contain  a  feeble  5 
rhetorical  description  of  the  decline  and 
desolation  of  the  Valley  of  the  Nile,  which 
has  no  obvious  connection  either  with  the 
preceding  or  with  the  following  portions 
of  the  oracle.  In  the  opening  verse  (cf. 
Job  14,  II  ;  an  interpolation?)  the  poet 
says,  not  only  th.it  irrigation  shall  be 
neglected,  luit  tliat  the  Nile  itself  shall 
dwindle,  and  cease  to  overflow,  so  that 
Egypt  — the  gift  of  the  Xile  (Herod. 
2,5) — shall  gradually  become  assimi- 
lated to  the  desert. 

(5)  With  the  drying  up  of  the  Nile  one  of  the  greatest  pleasures  of  the  6 
higher  class  of  Egyptians  would  have  disappeared.  Our  illustration  will  enable 
the  reader  to  understand  this.  The  sport  referred  to  consisted  in  rowing  in  a 
50  light  boat  between  the  beautiful  waving  tufts  of  the  papyrus  reeds,  in  starting 
the  wild  birds,  and  then  knocking  them  over  with  the  throw-stick.  It  was  on 
the  great  water-plants  of  the  marshes  that  these  birds  built  their  nests.  (Erman, 
Life  in  Ancient  Egypt,  pp.  234  ff. ). 


EGYPTIAN    CANEBRAKE. 


iSg  -^^•^^ae- (Pofce  on  5  36ata6  •'KSisM-:^  19,9-16 

(6)  The  textile  fabrics  of  the  Eg>'ptians,  according  to  the  monuments,  were  19, 
of  flax.     Some  of  them    (still   preserved)  equal   the   finest   Indian   muslin.     The 
coarser  kinds  were  used   for   the   tunics  of  which  Herodotus   speaks  (2,37.81). 

(7)  The   lore   of  the   many  past   centuries  was   concentrated   in   the   priestly  11 
5  class,    to    which    not    only    the    kings    but    the    principal    officers    of    the    state 

belonged.  Of  this  hierarchy  the  king  was  the  head,  and  through  the  marriages 
of  the  members  of  the  royal  family  —  Rameses  II  (about  1350)  is  declared  to 
have  had  167  children  —  was  connected  with  many  of  the  grandees  of  the  realm. 
Ancient  kings,  not  only  because  26  dynasties  had  already  passed  away,  but 
10  because  each  king  claimed  to  be  a  lineal  descendant  of  Ra,  the  Sun-god,  who 
was  the  first  (but  others  said,  the  second)  of  the  kings  of  Egypt.  The  priestly 
oracles  were  supposed  to  forewarn  the  king  of  the  success  or  failure  of  his 
expeditions. 

(8)  Noph,  or   Memphis,  the   ancient   capita]  of   Egypt;    Zoan,  or   Tanis,  the  13 
15  seat  of  power  of  the  21st  dynasty.     Ezekiel  (5S0)  had  already  prophesied  against 

both  cities  (Ezek.  30,  13.  14.  i6). 

(9)  A  Hebrew  monument  of  the  early  Hellenistic  age,  when   it   became  first  16 
natural    for    the    Jews    to    look    forward   to   an   approaching  peaceful    union    of 
nations  (</.  Ps.  87).     Not  improbably  it  belongs  to   the  latter  years  of  Ptolemy 

20  Lagi  (323-2S5),  who  might  well  be  regarded  both  by  the  native  Egyptians  and 
by  the  Egyptian  Jews  as  (like  his  master  Alexander  the  Great)  a  deliverer 
(v.  20).  It  seems  to  have  been  attached  to  the  preceding  prophecy  because  the 
writer  explained  the  phrase  a  hard  lord  (v.  4)  of  the  cruel  Artaxerxes  Ochus 
(359-33S). 

25  Verses    16.17   form   a   connecting   link   between   the   original    prophecy   and 

the  epilogue.  V.  i  spoke  of  the  calamities  of  Egypt  as  caused  by  Jhvh  ;  v.  17 
takes  up  the  same  idea.  Artaxerxes,  Alexander,  Ptolemy  are  to  the  writer,  as 
they  would  also  have  been  to  Isaiah,  simply  instruments  of  Jhvh.  But  Isaiah 
would  scarcely  have   fallen   into   the   extravagance  of  representing  Judah   as,  on 

30  religious  grounds,  a  terror  to  Egypt.  V.  iS  refers  to  the  .settlements  of  recent 
Jewish  colonists,  who  had  not  yet  exchanged  the  language  of  Canaan  for  Greek. 
The  writer  probably  refers  to  five  particular  settlements.  One  city  at  any  rate 
he  mentions  by  name  :  it  was  a  sacred  city  of  the  Sun-god,  probably  Heliopolis, 
the  Hebrew  name  of  which,  he  says,  shall   be   /;-  ha-heres  (an  uncommon   word 

35  for  sun,  to  produce  the  effect  of  mysterj-)-  V.  19  states  that  the  worship  of 
Jhvh  shall  be  set  up  in  Egypt ;  the  writer  speaks,  as  he  supposes  that  Isaiah 
would  have  spoken,  of  an  altar  of  burnt  sacrifice  (</".  v.  21),  but  he  really  means 
what  he  sees  before  his  eyes  —  the  predictive  language  is  assumed.  V.  20  adds 
that    the   altar  and   pillar   shall    be   a   sign   and   a    witness.      Of    course,  syna- 

40  gogues  were  just  as  much  signs  and  witnesses  as  altars  and  pillars,  and  the 
spiritual  sacrifices  of  prayer  and  obedience  were  far  more  acceptable,  as  the 
best  Israelites  knew,  than  were  animal  sacrifices.  Such  sanctuaries  and  offerings 
consecrated  Egypt  as  Jhvh's  land,  so  that  whenever  His  worshipers  in  Egypt 
cried  to  Him,  He  would  send  them  a  deliverer,  such  as  the  native  kings  who  so 

45  long  and  so  bravely  resisted  the  Persians,  and  above  all,  Alexander  the  Great, 
and  his  general  Ptolemy,  surnamed  Soter  (Deliverer). 

So  far  the  writer  has  been  describing  facts.  He  now  begins  to  express 
his  own  hopes  for  the  future.  In  v.  21  he  foretells  that  these  deliverances 
will  incline  the  Egyptians   to  turn  to   the   true  God,  so   that,  even   if  He  should 

50  (v.  22)  in  the  future  send  them  fatherly  correction,  they  would  always  be 
able  to  obtain  healing  by  returning  to  Jhvh.  But  a  still  greater  idea  dawns 
upon  him.  Egypt,  Canaan,  and  Syria  I  Assyria  here  =  Syria,  as  perhaps  Zech. 
10,10.11;  Ps.  83,9)  had  a  bond  of  union  in  the  Greek  origin  of  their 
sovereigns,  but  dynastic  jealousies   hindered   free   intercourse.     These  jealousies 


19.1^    56,4  -^>*^^5i- (Jlofco  on  5  3oaia6  •*X*'tsw-=^ —  190 

would,  however,  be  ended,  if  in  all  these  countries  true  religion-  could  take  lirm  19 
root  (ij'.  Ps.  871.  Israel,  whose  religion  had  been  (at  least  in  its  essential 
features)  atlopted  by  its  neighbors,  would  then  become  the  link  between  the 
two  peoples  which  had  once  been  so  frequently  at  war ;  and  these  three  nations 
5  together  would  at  once  be  specially  blessed  themselves,  and  radiate  blessing  to 
the  rest  of  the  world  (,vv.  23-25).  It  should  be  observed  that  the  expressions 
of  this  epilogue  are  sometimes  designedly  obscure ;  the  supposed  author 
(Isaiah)  is  speaking  of  far  distant  times. 

(10)  It  should  be  noticed  that  the  names  of  several  places  to  the  north  and  iS 
10  north-east  of  Heliopolis  {A/h/artye/i)  perpetuate  a  tradition  of  Jewish  settlements. 

One  of  them  is  Tel  el-Yahfldiyeh,  where  there  are  the  remains  of  an  ancient 
city,  the  sacred  name  of  which  was  T/ie  House  of  Ra  (the  Sun-god)  which  is 
north  of  On,  and  also  many  Jewish  tombs  (w-ith  Greek,  not  Hebrew,  inscrip- 
tions). Jewish  as  well  as  Samaritan  villages  are  also  known  to  have  existed 
15  in  the  Ptolemean  period  near  Arsinoe  (in  the  Fayyum).  This  we  learn  from 
the  papyri  discovered  there  by  Mr.  Flinders  Petrie. 

(11)  It  was   this   passage   to    which,  according   to  Josephus  (An/,  xiii ,  3 ,  i  ),   19 
the   priest   Onias  appealed  in  support  of  his  petition  to  Ptolemy  \T.   Philometor 
(1S1-146)  for  land  on  which  to  erect  a  temple   for   Egyptian  Jews.     The  temple 

20  was  actually  built,  and,  as  most  think,  on  the  spot  now  called  Tel  el-Vahudiyeh 
(see  preceding  note).  It  has  even  been  held  that  the  whole,  or  a  part,  of  the 
epilogue  was  written  in  the  interest  of  Onias.  This  view,  however,  has  no  great 
critical  probability.  At  any  rate,  Isaiah  is  not  the  author  (see  Cheyne,  Infrod. 
to  the  Book  of  Isaiah,   London,   1895,  pp.  99-110).     He  could  not  have    regarded 

25  the  offering  of  sacrifice  {cf.  v.  21)  as  an  essential  feature  of  the  ideal  age.  Nor 
does  he  elsewhere  refer  to  the  sacred  pillar,  which  was  a  sign  of  the  special 
presence  of  the  deity  (Gen.  28,18.22).  Observe,  there  is  to  be  only  one  pillar, 
and  that  at  the  border  of  Egypt,  to  indicate  that  the  whole  country  is  Jhvh's 
land. 

(llotee   on   (pvop6«cp  2. 

{ pp.  99 .  100) 

(i)  The   prophecies    (14,1;    44,5)    have    begun    to  be    fulfilled;    proselytes  56, 
are   offering   themselves.     Neither   m    religious   observances,  nor   in   moral   prac- 
tice, can  the  least  fault  be  found  with  them.     But   at  Jerusalem  a    new  spirit  of 

35  exclusiveness  has  begun  to  show  itself  and  legal  objections  are  raised  to  the 
admission  of  those  "who  are  not  born  Israelites.  There  are  also  a  number  of 
Israelites  w-ho  have  been  forced  to  become  eunuchs  at  the  court  of  the  Great 
King,  who  have  followed  Nehemiah  to  Jerusalem,  and  who,  though  admitted 
into    the    community,  have    to    deplore    their  loss  of   the   heritage   and  gift   that 

40  contes  from  the  Lord  (Fs.  127,3).  The  writer  has  comfort  for  both  these  classes. 
Proselytes  shall  be  permitted  to  ofier  sacrifices,  and  shall  have  the  still  greater 
privilege  of  prayer  (observe  the  significant  designation  of  the  Temple  in  v.  7). 
The  eunuchs,  too,  shall  have  a  memorial  within  the  Temple  precincts  which  will 
more  than  compensate  them  for  the  want  of  children  ;   this  clearly  implies  that 

45  the  order  for  their  exclusion  was,  so  far  as  it  depended  on  the  prophet,  to  be 
canceled.  In  vv.  1.2.5  there  are  echoes  of  phrases  of  the  Second  Isaiah, 
but  the  deliverance  hoped  for  is  evidently  not  that  from  Babylon  (see  v.  8), 
and  the  tendency  is  widely  different  from  that  of  the  prophet  of  Restoration. 
The   stress   laid  on  Sabbath-keeping  reminds  us  of  Neh.  13.15-22   (see  fnllow- 

50  ing  note). 

(2)   The   phrase   my   Sabbaths   is   characteristic   of  Ezekiel    and   the    Priestly  .\ 
Writers   (in   Ex.   and   Lev.).     It  indicates   that   the    Sabbath    had,    like  circum- 


igi  — »*e§6^if  (Tlotc0  on  5  3a<ii<i6 -'SSJSa**—  56,5-57.4 

cision,    become    a    sacramental    symbol   of    the    religion   of  Jhvh.     In    H(jsea's  56 
time   (about   750)    it    had    been   a   day   of   mirth    (Hos.  2,iij,    but   now    it   had 
to  be  anxiously  guarded   against  profanation   (cf.   Ezek.  20,13).     Secular  works 
and  words  were  rigorously  forbidden  (see  on  58,  13). 
5  (3)   The   moniinicnt  intended   may    have    been    an    upright    stone,    such    as  5 

Absalom  erected  in  the  King's  Dale  to  keep  his  name  in  remembrance  instead 
of  a  son  (2  Sam.  18,18;  the  same  rare  expression  is  used).  Egyptians  of 
high  rank  were  allowed  to  put  up  such  stelas,  bearing  their  name  and  a 
prayer,    in   certain   famous  sanctuaries ;    this   was   called    obtaining  an  excellent 

10  memorial  in  the  house  of  the  god  (see  the  story  of  Sinuhit,  Records  of  the 
Past,  New  Series,  Vol.  11,11-36).  It  was  better  than  sons  and  daughters, 
because  it  partook  of  the  eternity  of  the  sanctuary,  which  could  not  be  cut  off. 
This  explanation  seems  better  than  supposing  a  mere  flower  of  rhetoric. 

(4)  This    significant    phrase    (see    on     l  ,  24)    is    very    rarely    found    at    the  S 

15  beginning  of  a  sentence.  By  using  it  thus,  the  prophet  expresses  his  disap- 
proval of  the  extreme  rigor  of  the  ultra-reformers.  It  is,  he  declares,  in 
accordance  with  the  will  of  God  that  foreign  proselytes  should  be  admitted. 
Cy.  the  beautiful  post-Exilic  story  of  the  Moabitess  Ruth. 

(Itoice  on  (propgccp  3. 

( pp.  100-  102) 

(i)  This   obscure  passage  opens   with   a   denunciation   of  the  rulers   of  the  9 
Jewish    community    for    their    incapacity,    carelessness,    and    greed.      After    this 
comes    a    still    more  vehement    invective    against   a    body   of   idolators    distinct 
from    the    community   just    mentioned,    which    passes    by    a    strangely    abrupt 

25  transition  into  a  word  of  promise  to  Jhvh's  people.  There  are  striking 
parallels  to  these  descriptions  in  Jer.  and  (especially)  Ezek.,  and  the  easiest 
critical  hypothesis  is,  that  we  have  here  the  work  of  a  friend  of  reform  at 
Jerusalem,  who  wrote  before  the  arrival  of  Ezra,  the  Scribe  (>432i).  Possibly 
he   had   come   to  Jerusalem  in  the  train  of  Nehemiah   (445),  and   been  violently 

30  shocked  at  the  religious  abuses  which  were  still  practiced,  and  which  were 
derived,  according  to  Ezra  9,1,  from  the  mixed  population  of  the  land.  It 
is  to  the  Samaritans  (whose  repulse  by  the  restored  exiles  and  consequent 
bitter  opposition  to  them'  are  recorded  in  Ezra  and  Nehemiah)  that  the 
greater  part  of  this  prophecy,  like  that  in   cc.  65 .  66,   specially  refers  ;   but,  of 

35  course,  those  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  who  had  in  any  degree  identified  them- 
selves with  those  half-Jews  would  have  to  share  the  same  punishment. 

(2)  Based  on  Jer.  12  ,  9;  r/^  Ezek.  34  ,  8. —  (3)   (T/.  Ezek.  34  ,  1-8;  33,  1-6.       9.10 

(4)  From   the   writer's  point  of  view  the   poor  are  the   righteous,   and   the  57,1 
rich   the   wicked.      Neh.  5,8   shows    that   even   good   men   like    Nehemiah    lent 

40  money  and  corn  on  usury,  and  vv.  3-5  prove  that  many  usurers  made  exorbitant 
charges.  Not  a  few  Jews  lost  house  and  land  (</.  S8,7),  and  sometimes 
doubtless  perished  from  their  privations — a  blessed  release,  as  this  svmpa- 
thetic  writer  says,  for  they  enter  into  peace. — Beds  =  graves ;  cf.  Ezek.  32  ,  25. 

(5)  The    prophetic    writer    now    turns    to    the    Samaritans,    whose    friendly  3 
45  relations  to  the  leaders  of  the  Jews   (Ezra  9,  1.2;  Neh.  13,28)  were  dangerous 

in  the  eyes  of  pious  patriots.  On  the  expression  sorceress,  compare  65 ,  4 .  5. 
Adulteress  &c.  refers  partly  to  the  mixed  origin  of  the  Samaritans,  partly 
to  their  impure  religion. 

(6)  The   first   of   a   series   of   parallels   to    Ezek.  16    (see   vv.  44.45)    occurs 
50  here. 

(7)  See  Nehemiah,   chapter  4.   verses   i   and  2.  4 


57.5-II 


^«*taj{^-  Qlotce  on  5  38aia9  -«®8#=»*<^ 


192 


(8)  Here    begins    an    enumeration    of    heathen    practices.     The    old    tree-  57,5 
worship   (see    1,29;  Jer.  2,20;  3,6,  and  i-J'.  Robertson  Smith,  Religion  of  the 
Sciniles,   second   edition,    p.    169)    still    survived  ;    also   the    sacrifices   of  children 
(66,3),  a  gloomy  rite   which   only   became   popular  in  the  land   of  Israel  under 

5  the  pressure  of  grievous  national  misfortune. 

(9)  Strictly  speaking,    it   is   tlie   protecting  god  who  is  the  national  portion  6 
or  lot  assigned   to   the    nation    (by  Jhvh,    Deut.  4,19)    equally   with    the    terri- 
tory   in    \v  lii<  h    this   is    settled.     So  Jhvh    is   called    Israel's   portion    (Pss.  16,5; 
73,26;   Jer.  10,  i5).      Here,    however,    these   terms   are    applied    to    the    altars, 

Kj  which  in  an  ini.ageless  cultus  like  that  of  Melech  (Moloch)  were  the  most 
sacred  symbols  of  religion.  These  altars  were  built  of  unhewn  stones  {cf. 
Ex.  20,25;  Deut.  27,5.6)  taken  from  the  ivddics,  where  the  winter-torrents 
had  polished  them  (hence  s»iooth  stones,  v.  6).  So  in  Cyprus,  where  the 
Phcenician   element   was   strong,    the   use  of  pebbles    both    for   high   places   and 

15  for  altars   seems   to  have  been   traditional    (Ohnei'alsch-Richter). 

(10)  Cf.  Hos.  4,13;  Jer.  2,  20;   3 ,  2;   Ezek.  16.     Hill-sanctuaries,   an  inheri-  7 
tance   from    the    past,     as    65 ,  7.      Hence    the    perfect    tenses.     Old    rites    are 
tenacious  of  life. 


^  if  I 


SACRED   SYMBOLS. 


(11)  Groves,  valleys,  mountains  present  their  resjiective  forms  of  false  S 
20  religion.  Next  comes  the  turn  of  the  domestic  cultus.  Each  protective  deity 
had  his  own  symbol,  which  stirred  the  religious  feelings  of  the  devotee,  and 
was  placed  where  it  would  most  readily  be  seen.  From  the  inexhaustible  store 
of  the  heathen  symbols  of  the  races  among  which  Israel  dwelt  a  few  are  here 
selected,  many  of  which  tell  their  own  tale. 
25  (12)    Political  connections  with  non-Israelites  led  to  the  adoption  of  strange 

worships    (the   writer   imitates   Ezek.  16,25.26). 

(13)  The    community,    with    its    medley   of   worships,    is   represented    as    a  9 
harlot   in   festal   attire,    receiving    men   from   a   great   distance;    cf.   Ezek.  23 ,  40. 
For  3h'lcch  =  Xo   receive   Melech    (Moloch),    by   whorn   the   god   of  the   Ammo- 

30  nites  may   be    meant    (see   i   Kings  11,7).     This   reminds    us    that  one  of  the 
allies  of  the  Samaritans  was  Tobiah,  the  Ammonite  (Neh.  2,10  &c.). 

(14)  7.  e.  to  foreign  oracles  of  deities  of  the  underworld,  c.  g.  Osiris, 
one  of  whose  titles  is  lord  of  the  nether  world,  and  whose  worship  (well  known 
in    Phcrnicia)    would   be   one   of  the   abominations  of  the    Egyptians   spoken    of 

35  in  Ezra  9,1.     Or,   native  necromancy  may  be  referred  to.     See  on  45,  19;  65,4. 

(151    Sucli   heathen   practices   amounted   to   apostasy   from  Jhvh,    even   if  .1   11 
formal     worsliip    of   Jhvh   was    maintained.      Yet    no    word    of   divine    rebuke 
(17,13)    was   heard;    silence    seemed    to    argue   indifference    (Ps.  50,21).      God 
lias  forgotten ;  He  hides  His  face  (Ps.  10,  11). 


193  -^*e|SsSSi- Qlotca  on  5  38<i>*9^*SSJie3*<^  57.12-58,1 

(16)  The    Samaritans    and    those   who    ally   themselves    to    them    may   lay  57,12 
claim    ((/.   Ezra  4,2)    to   religious   correctness.     But   what   a   miserable  pretense 

it  is  ! 

(17)  /.  e.  the  false  gods;  a  favorite  phrase  of  Ezekiel  (6'.^''.  7,  20). 

5  (18)   The    rest  of   the    denunciation    is    lost.      The    supplement    is    by   an  13 

editor,  who  tries  at  first  to  write  like  Second  Isaiah,  but  soon  falls  into 
other  grooves.  Cf.  v.  14  with  40,3.4  (said  of  Jhvh's  march  to  Canaan), 
49,  II  (of  the  return  of  the  Jews  from  all  quarters);  and  phrases  in  v.  15 
remind  us  of  61  ,  i .  2 ;  66  ,  2. 

10  (19)  V.  15  marks  a  later  stage  of  development  than  cc.  40-55.     The  series  15 

of  divine  titles,  the  striking  combination  of  the  ideas  of  the  divine  tran- 
scendence and  immanence,  and  the  conception  of  the  true  Israelite  as  crushed 
and  lozuly  (so  61,2;  66,2;  cf.  Pss.  34,18;  51.18)  are  unlike  the  Second 
Isaiah,  whose   beautiful   and  essentially  true   ideas   have  been   modified  to  suit  a 

15  tnore  sober  age  (see  the  Introduction  to  tlic  Book  of  Isaia/2  by  the  present 
writer,  London,   1895,  p.  323). 

(20)  Jhvh   has  seen   Israel's  wanderings   in  the  paths   of  self-chosen  error,   ig 
and  marked  the    wounds   which   they  have   received  among  the  dark  precipices 
{cf  Jer.  13,  16).      But   He  who  is  Israel's  physician  (Ex.  15,26)  will   heat  their 

■20  back  sliding  s  (Jer.  3,22;  Hos.  14,4),  and  remove  the  consequences  of  their 
sins,  giving  them  rest  (14,3)  from  oppression  and  all  those  other  physical 
troubles  which  seemed  to  the  prophets  to  require  double  compensation  (40,2; 
61,7).  Like  Job,  the  mourners  of  Zion  (61,3)  have  sat  in  mute  astonishment 
at  the  greatness  of  their  trouble.     Now  the  string  of  their  tongue  is  loosed,  and 

25  Jhvh  makes  the  lips  blossom  anew  with  speech  [cf  Prov.  10,31;  12,  14).  The 
voice  of  the  bridegroom  and  the  voice  of  the  bride,  and  the  voice  of  those  who 
say:  Praise  J HVH  (Jer.  33,11),  shall  once  more  be  heard  in  the  land  of  the 
redeemed.  The  regrets  expressed  in  48,17  were  henceforth  unnecessary.  For 
all  but  the  wicked  (i.  e.  the  lawless   opponents  of  the  post-Exilic  reforms)  there 

30  is  perfect  peace ;  for  all  who  are  of  the  true  Israel  ( Ps.  73 ,  i ),  the  day  of 
realized  ideals,  of  Messianic  felicity,  has  dawned.  The  far-off  and  the  near  are 
so  called  with  reference  to  Jerusalem ;  cf.  Dan.  9 ,  7.  The  former  are  the 
Jews   of  the   Dispersion. 

(lto(46   on   (lprop6«cp  4. 

(pp.  102-104) 

( I J   Against  a  popular  religious   error.     The   same   protest  against   mechan-  58 ,  i 
ical  fasting,  and  the  same  demand  of  justice  and  mercy  had  been  already  made 
by   Zechariah    (Zech.  7,8).     When  was   c.  58   written?     Nothing   being  said   of 
the    Return    from    Babylon,    it  may   be    assumed   that   this   had  already   taken 

40  place.  A  number  of  Jews  must  have  returned  to  Palestine,  though  not  enough, 
even  with  the  aid  of  those  who  had  remained  in  the  land,  to  rebuild  the 
desolate  cities.  The  community  of  Jerusalem  is  now  greatly  preoccupied  with 
the  question  of  legal  righteousness,  without  the  possession  of  which  the 
Messianic   promise   cannot   be  fulfilled.      By   fasting    and   prayer    they   hope    to 

45  hasten  the  desired  consummation.  Comparing  58,9''  with  59,9.10,  we  infer 
that  great  troubles  had  lately  taken  place,  and  that  the  prospects  of  the  Jews 
were  still  gloomy.  The  descriptions  correspond  to  what  we  are  told  of  the 
state  of  Judah  both  before  and  immediately  after  the  first  arrival  of  Nehemiah 
(in  445).      V.  12   looks   as   if   it   were   intended   to  encourage    those  who   were 

50  stopping  up  the  breaches  of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  darkness  and 
obscurity  spoken  of  in  v.  10  may  well  be  the  despondency  caused  by  the  design 
of  the  Samaritans  and  their   allies   to   co>ne   and  attack  fcrusalem.  and  to  cause 


58,2-59.15"  —>4fmSii- (^oite  on  5  J^aia?  ^»S^*3*« —  194 

confusion  their   (Nell.  4,7.8).     The  writer  of  c.  58  reiterates  the  old  promises  58 
(if   deliverance,    but    makes    their   fulfilment    conditional    on    moral    reform    {cf. 
Zecli.  8 ,  14-19). 

Verses   13  and  14  are  evidently  a  somewhat   later  addition.     They  contrast 
5  by   their   purely   didactic  style   with    the   preceding    passage,    and    are    deficient 
(see  note  13)  in  originality  of  style.     V.  13  reminds  us  of  56 ,  2 .  6. 

(2)  The    priests    or    prophets    were    appealed    to    for    the    explanation    of  2 
obscurities  in  the  written  or  oral  law   (Zech.  7,3;   Mai.  2,6.7). 

(3)  Mortifying,  in  the  Levitical  legislation  (Lev.  26,29),  is  called  huinhling  3 
10  Ihe  sou/.     Another  post-Exilic  writer  tells  how  Jhvh  was  moved  to  compassion 

by  a  national  fast  (Joel  2,  iS).     But  the  speakers  in  v.  3  complain  of  disappoint- 
ment.    Deliverance  is  still  expected  in  vain. 

(4)  /.  (•.,    in   the   intervals  of   the  public   litanies   the   rich    Jews   pursue  the 
occupation    of   money-lending.      It    is,    of   course,    the   harsh    exaction    of   debts 

15  from   the   poor  that   is   meant.     Hence   in  v.  4  the  creditor  is  said  to  smite  the 
poor  man  with  the  fist  (cf.  Matth.  18,  28). 

(5)  Alluding  to  the  cruel  treatment  of  the  Jews  by  the  rich  money-lenders  6 
(Neh.  S,  1-13). 

(6)  Compare  the  noble  example  of  Nehemiah  (Neh.  5,  17).  7 
20           (7)  It  is  claim  enough  that  they  are  Jews.     The  tribal  divisions  have  been 

so  much  weakened  tliat  Israel  is  now  one  great  clan.      See  the  closely  parallel 
passage,  Neh.  5,5. 

(8)  Alluding  to  chapter  52,  verse  12;  chajiter  60.  verse  i.  8 

(9)  See  c.  61,  v.  4.  (lo)  /.  e.  to  make  the  land  habitable.   12 

25  (11)  i.  e.  from  the  profanation  of  the  Sabbath,  as  if  the  Sabbath  were  holy  13 

ground  (Ez.  3,5).     The  Jewish  people  personified  is  addressed. 

(12)  The  right  words  are,  of  course,  religious  words  (Malachi  3,  11). 

(13)  Reminiscences   of  Job  22,26;  Deut.  32,13.      Job    (a   post-Exilic   work)   14 
had  already  become  popular  when  the  appendix  was  written. 

Qtotce   on  (pvop^ccp  5. 

(pp.  104. 105) 

(i)    A  vehement  denunciation,  which    passes   abruptly   (v.  9)    into  a  confes-  59,1 
sion  of  sin  made  by  the  author  for,  and  with,  his  fellow-countrymen  (or  at  least 
his    fellow-believers).     The    moral    picture    is   darker   than   that   in    c.  58,  and 
35  more  stress  is   laid   on   the   national    calamity.      There  is,    however,   a    general 
affinity  between  the  compositions  which  forbids  us  to  separate  them  by  a   long 
interval.       Possibly    the    Samaritans    liad    gone    to    a    greater    length     in    their 
outra.ges  since  c.  58  was  written.     Literary  reminiscences  abound. 
(2)    Cf.  chapter  50,  verse  2. 
40  (3)    Cf.   the  complaints  of  many  of  the  (post-Exilic)  Psalms,   e.g.   Ps.  94.       3 

(4)  Cf.   29,21   (a  late  passage!.  (5)    Cf.  Job   15,35,  Ps.   7,  14-  4 
(6)    Have  the  self-righteous  Jews   (58,2.3)  become   penitent?   or  are   these  9 

the   words   of  the   humble-minded   poor?      Right  =\'=,K?if:\%   right,    as   against   its 
enemies  (40 ,  27). 
45  (7)    Darkness  and  gloom,   as  in  58,  10. 

(5)  Alluding  to  Deuteronomy,  chapter  28,  verse  29.  10 

(9)  Moral  faults,  then,  are  now  as   trcasonabte  as   idolatry  —  a  pleasing  sign  13 
of  religious  progress. 

(10)  A  somewhat  fantastic  way  of  saying  that   the   race   of  good  men   and  ij-'' 
50  true  has  died  out. 


195  — »4*^6@S«- QtotcB  on  5  JsaiaB  •sas^a*^—  59,i5l>-6o,4 

(Itofce   on   (]prop6«cj  6. 

(pp.  105. 106] 

(i)  This  and  the  next  passage  are  Unked  together  by  identity  of  subject  59,  15b 
and  similarity  of  phraseology  (see  on  63,1.5).  In  59,20  there  is  a  manifest 
5  allusion  to  the  religious  movements  of  the  time  of  Ezra,  possibly  indeed  to 
the  event  described  in  Neh.  9.10  (■■4^,21);  and  in  63,4  the  phrases  are 
partly  modeled  on  61  ,  2,  a  verse  of  a  prophecy  belonging  to  the  same  period. 
Both  visions  seem  to  be  fragmentary.  In  59 ,  iS  the  language  of  vision  passes 
into  that  of  prophecy. 
10  (2)   i.e.,  that  Israel   was   oppressed   (r/.  Job    19,7).     The   writer  professes 

to  be  describing  a  vision  ;   hence  the  perfects. 

(3)  C/.  63,5.     No    tnati  =  r\o    champion.      Observe,    there   is   no   Cyrus   on  16 
the  prophet's  horizon. 

(4)  Alluding    to    30,27.28;     cf.    Ezek.    43,2.      Here,    however,    the    over-  19 
15  flowing  toi-rent  of  30 ,  28  becomes   the   Nile,    for  the  writer  wishes  to   lay   the 

chief  stress  on  the  brighter  aspect  of  Jhvh's  coming.  Redemption  will  revive 
the  languishing  spirits  of  the  Jews,  as  the  annual  overflow  of  the  Nile  {cf.  Am. 
8.8;  9,5!  Jer.  46,7)  fills  the  Egyptian  people  with  joy  and  confidence.  So 
in  66,  12  Jhvh  promises  to  direct  to  Zion  peace  like  a  river,  and  in  60,3  it  is 
20  the  glory  of  the  new  Jerusalem  which  attracts  the  nations. 

(5)  Compare  chapter  i,  verse  27  (post-E.xilic).  20 

(6)  The  introductory  words  of  this  covenant  seem   modeled   on  Gen.  9,9;  21 
17.4  (P).      The  covenant  itself  appropriates  to  the  purified   Israel   which   will 
exist  after  the  judgment  certain   features    of   the    descriptions  in  42 ,  i  ;    49 ,  2. 

25  The  Israel  reconstituted  by  Ezra  is,  to  this  writer,  the  Servant  of  Jhvh.  The 
divine  spirit  dwells  within  it  {cf.  63,11),  and  its  mission  is  to  be  constantly 
preaching  the  words  of  Jhvh.  Cf.  the  parallel  passage  in  51,16  (late),  where 
these  words  are  said  to  have  the  power  of  regenerating  the  world ;  also  Jer. 
1 , 9 .  10,  upon  which  both  passages  are  partly  based. 

(Itofce   on   (propBccp  7. 

(pp.   106- 1 10) 

(i)  The  voice  of  penitence  (59,9-15*)  has  been  heard;   a  bright  gleam  of  60,1 
hope   has   visited   the  prophets.     Of  late,  Jerusalem   has   been   cut  off  from   the 
rest    of    the    world     (v.    15),    poverty-stricken,     ill-governed,     and     ill-defended 

35  (vv.  16-18).  Its  population  has  been  small  (v.  4),  and  its  walls  and  gates  have 
yet  to  be  rebuilt  (vv.  10.  11).  The  Temple  indeed  has  (apparently)  not  suffered 
from  the  foe,  but  it  sorely  needs  beautification  {cf.  Hag.  2,7.8),  and  the 
dignity  of  its  sacrificial  rites  requires  a  greater  profusion  of  victims  (vv.  7.13). 
No   mention   is   made   of  Judah's   high    mission   to   the    ignorant   nations.      The 

40  exegetical  data  of  cc.  60-62  support  the  view  that  Ezra  and  his  companions 
have  lately  arrived  with  rich  gifts  for  the  Temple  from  Babylonia  (!432i),  and 
that  the  first  steps  have  been  taken  towards  the  consolidation  of  a  firmly 
organized  community  of  legally  righteous  worshipers  of  Jhvh.  The  fine  poem 
in   c.  60   contains  many  reminiscences  of  Second   Isaiah,     It  forms   a   sequel   to 

45  cc.  54.55,  and  a  suitable  pendant  to  the  song  on  Babylon  in  c.  47. 

(2)  Zion  is  figured   as  a  prostrate  woman  (51,23;    52,1),   and   the  sun   is 
supposed  to  have  just  leaped  above  the  horizon. 

(3)  Repeated    from   49,18.       Cf.   Neh.  7,4,    Now    the    city   was    large   and  4 
great;  but  the  people  were  few  therein,   and  the  families  were  not  large. 


6o.6-6i,i  — »*(3^«#a(- (ttofcB  on  5  30'»»o8 -sSSf^** —  196 

(4)  Cliildreii    in   the   East   are   sometimes  carried  astride  upon  the  liip,   with  60 
the   help   of  the   arm   of    the   person    who   carries   them.     So  66,  12.      At    other 
times  they  are  borne  on  the  shoulder  (so  49,  22  j. 

(5)  In  Southwestern  Arabia  (Psalm  72,15  &c.).  "  6 
5          (6)  See  on  21,16. —  (7)  An  Arabian  people  (mentioned  with  the  Kedarenes  7 

in    the  Assyrian   inscriptions),  from   which   sprang  the  Nabateans  of  Greek  and 
Roman    writers.      The   rams    are  supposed   to   seek  Zion,    and   mount  the  altar 
of  their  own  accord  —  an  idea  common  to  many  primitive  religions.     Cf.  i  Sam. 
6,  14,  and  see  W.  R.  Smith,  Religion  of  tlie  Semites,  sec.  ed.,  p.  309. 
10  (8)   i.  e.  the  riches  of  the  foreign  merchants.  9 

(9)  Almost  a  repetition  of  55,  5''. 

(10)  Compare   Isaiah,  chapter  57,   verse  17.  10 

(11)  From  41,19'=.     But  whereas,   according  to   the   original   passage,   these  13 
noble  trees  will  adorn  the  transformed  desert  between  Babylonia  and  Palestine, 

15  the  writer  of  c.  60  means  that  the  timber  supplied  by  Lebanon  will  decorate  the 
Temple,  perhaps  even  {cf.  4,5)  the  whole  of  Jerusalem. 

(12)  Cf.(>2,\.  12.      One  might  at  first  think   that   this   referred  to  the  state  15 
of  Jerusalem   during  the  Exile.     But  see  Neh.  2,17,  hoiv  Jerusalem   lies   Tuaste. 

(13)  Based  on  49,23.  (14)    Repeated   from  49,26b.   16 
20           (15)   The   material   sun    and    moon   will    have    passed    away   with    the    old  20 

heavens  (51,6;   ef.  65,17).     So  24,23. 

(16)   Jerusalem   has   been   rebuilt   and   repeopled,    but   its   walls   need   to   be  61,1 
carefully   guarded    (62,6),    and   it   has   not   yet  won   the   respect  of  the   nations 
(61,  II;    62,2.7).      Ancient    ruins    need    to    be    restored    (61,4),    and    fields 

25  and  vineyards  are  exposed  to  the  ravages  of  foes  (62,8),  for  want  of  a  suffi- 
cient population.  Meantime  the  inass  of  the  Jews  still  languish  in  exile 
(61,  I;  see  note),  and  on  all  these  accounts  the  prevailing  characteristic  of 
pious  and  patriotic  Jews  is  mournfulness  (61  ,  1-3).  The  date  need  not, 
therefore,    be   later    than    that   of   c.  60,    with   which   these    two    chapters   agree 

30  in  their  frequent  reminiscences  of  the  Second  Isaiah. 

The  speaker  is  the  Servant  of  Jhvh.  He  is  not  indeed  expressly  called 
so,  but  the  same  omission  is  made  in  50,4-9  (where,  too,  observe  two 
other  parallelisms,  viz.  the  use  of  the  term  the  Lord,  JHVII,  and  the  descrip- 
tion  of  the  speaker's   office   as   prophetic   and   consolatory).     And   he  distinctly 

35  refers  to  the  portraiture  of  the  Servant  in  42 ,  i  .  7,  though  he  omits  one 
most  important  feature,  viz.  the  teaching  of  religion  to  the  nations.  It  is 
true,  he  uses  some  expressions  which  belong  more  properly  to  a  prophet  than 
to  the  Servant  of  Jhvh,  but  this  is  only  an  additional  proof  that  he  is  an 
imitator   of  the   Songs   on   the   Servant  as    well    as   of  the   Second    Isaiah.     He 

40  regards  the  Servatit  of  jHVH  as  personifying  the  company  of  prophets  (/.  e.  of 
adherents  and  propagators  of  the  highest  type  of  religion).  It  is  only  this  ideal 
personage  who  can  be  said  to  have  set  watchmen  over  the  walls  of  Jerusalem 
(62,6),  to  do  in  their  degree  that  which  he  is  himself  doing  with  the  highest 
spiritual  gifts. 

45  (17)    It   is   generally  individuals  wlio   are  said  to  be  anointed.     Hut  we  tind 

post-Exilic  Israel  spoken  of  as  Jiivh's  Anointed  (in  accordance  with  55,4) 
in  Hab.  3,13;  Pss.  28,3;  89,38.51.  Here  it  is  the  prophetic  company  per- 
sonified which  is  so  described. 

(18)   The   reference    is    to    the  Jews   of   the    Dispersion,    whether   in    literal 

50  (see  Joel  3,6-8)  or  only  in  metaphorical  servitude  (42,7.22;  49,9).  The 
phraseology  is  borrowed  from  a  law  akin  to  that  of  the  Jubilee  (see  Jer. 
34,8;  Ezek.  46,17;  Lev.  25,10).  Illustrate  by  Nehemiah's  prayer  (Neh. 
1,5-11),  which  presupposes  that  no  adequate  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy  of 
Restoration  has  yet  taken  place.  (19)   Cf.  42,7. 


197  — 9*«s^^Si- Qtofca  on  5  38'»t«?  •*»93*<—  61,2-63,1 

(20)  Compare  chapter  63,  verse  4;   chapter  34,  verse  8.  61,2 

(21)  Ashes  strewed  on  the  head  were  a  sign  of  mourning   (2  Sam.  13,  19).  3 

(22)  The  epithet  is  the  same  as  in  62,3. 

(23)  Repeated  almost  verbally  from  60,21b.     xhe  text  is  confused  in  61,3. 

5  (24)    As   standing   between    Jhvh    and   the   heathen,    who   have   now   to  be  6 

shown  how  to  worship  the  true  God  \cf.   2  Kings  17,27.28). 

(25)  See   on   40,2,    and   jy".  Jer.  16,  iS;  17,18;    Zech.  9,12.  7 

(26)  Alluding  to  chapter  50,  verse  6. 

(27)  The    phrase    is    a    peculiar    one.      It    seems    to    imply   that    the  Jews  S 
10  had   suffered   from   the   incursions,    not  of  any   regular    foe,    but   of  jealous  and 

powerful   neighbors   who   haled  them    ivithout  cause  (Ps.  69,4).      Unjust  spoil  is 
repeatedly  mentioned  among  the  deadliest  sins  in  Ezek.  18.  (28)  See  55,3. 

(29)  Verses    i   and  6  must  be  taken  together.     The  watchmen  (lit.  keepers)  63,1 
spoken   of  are  not  the   ordinary  watchmen   of  the   city,   though  like   these,  but 

15  in  another  sense,  they  have  to  keep  guard  over  the  ruined  walls.  They  are 
prophets  (like  the  writer)  and  friends  of  the  prophets,  and  the  weapon  with 
which  they  guard  the  city  is  prayer  (cf.  Ps.  106,23;  E.x.  32,  10-14. 31 .  32; 
Jer.  11,14;  15.1)-  The  same  function  (of  putting  Jhvh  in  mind  of  His 
promises)   must  of  necessity   belong    to    the  Servant  of  Jhvh   from  whom   the 

20  individual  prophets  may  be  said  to  derive  their  commission  (see  note  16, 
on  61  ,  I ). 

(30)  Alluding  to  54,  1 .2.4-6;  49,  14.  (31)   CT".  Ps.  147 ,  2.  4-5 
(32)    See   note   29.     That   there   were  still   many   prophets  in  Jerusalem   fol-  6 

lows  from  Neh.  6,7.14. 
25  (33)   Observe,  Judah  is  in  part  repeopled,   and  the  Temple  rebuilt.     In  the  9 

last  line  there  is  an  allusion  to  the  custom  of  eating  and  drinking  before  Jni'h 

at   the   three  great  festivals   (Deut.  12,17.18;    14,23-26). 

(34)   The   few    but    now    thoroughly   earnest    inhabitants    of  Jerusalem    are  10 

commanded   to  go   out,    and   make   smooth  and    level    the   way   for    the    return 
30  of  the  great  mass  of  the  people.     The  passage  consists  of  echoes  of  40 ,  3 .  10  ; 

49  ,  22  ;  48  ,  20  ;  cf.  also  57  ,  14. 

(Itofce   on  (prop^ccp  8. 

(p.   no) 

(i)  As  in  so  many  of  the  Psalms,  the  speaker  is  the  community  or  61,10 
35  society  of  Jews  faithful  to  the  Law  who  represent  the  true  Israel.  The 
passage  seems  a  misplaced  fragment  of  a  prophecy ;  the  late  prophetic 
writers  sometimes  adopt  the  style  of  liturgical  poets.  Possibly,  however,  it  is 
a  quotation  from  a  liturgical  poem.  The  Psalmists  often  rise  above  their 
anxieties  into  the  atmosphere  of  faith.  If  so,  the  deliverance  referred  to  is 
40  still  future.  The  second  line  seems  to  allude  to  59,  17;  the  phrase,  however, 
receives  a  new  application.  Israel,  as  it  were,  puts  on  a  glorious  state-dress 
in  honor  of  its  deliverer. 

(2)    Cf.    Song    of  Sol.  3,11.     Israel    is,    in    fact,    figuratively    speaking,    the 
bride  of  Jhvh. 

(Itofce   on   (prop0ccp  9. 

(p.  hi) 

(i)  A  dramatic  scene  like  that  in   Ps.  24,7-10,  which  also  appears  to  refer  63,1 
to  the    final   judgment.      The    chorus    sees   a   mighty   form   in  magnificent  but 
blood-stained    garments    (see    59,17),   marching    with    long  strides   (Job  18,7) 
50  from    the    direction  of    Bozrah    (34,6).     It    does    not  venture   to    question  the 


63  3    65.11  ^->*&j-ssc  Qtofce  on  5  36ata§ -«gs«sM«i —  198 

hero,    l)ut   the   mysterious   personage  answers  for  himself.     It  is  He  who   (alone  63 
of  those   who  are  called  gods)  is   mighty  both   in  word  and  in  act,  f!~.  Jhvh. 
He  has   come  from   the   great  final  judgment   on   the   heathen   nations,   who  are 
in   V.  I    symbolized   by   Edom    (see   on  c.  341. 
5  (2)   There   are    no    more   wine-vats    of   Bozrah,    but   her    fields   are   fruitful  3 

vineyards   (Doughty,    Arabia,  1,38).  (3)   CJ.  Gen.  49,11. 

(4)  See  41  ,2;  49,8.  (5)  See  59,  16.  4.5 

(Itotce   on    (propBccj  lO. 

(pp.  Ill -1 13) 

10  (i)   This  and  the  parallel  prophecy  in  c.  65  presuppose  the  same  historical  65,1 

situation.  The  great  enemies  of  the  Jerusalem  community  are  at  present  the 
Samaritans,  whose  strangely  mi.xed  religious  usages,  which  included  gross 
superstitions,  are  in  the  highest  degree  repugnant  to  the  writer.  The  only 
remedy  which   he  can  see  is  a  divine  judgment  upon   the   offenders,   which   will 

15  make  his  own  people  sole  masters  of  the  Holy  Land.  CC.  65  .  66,  which  on 
many  grounds  are  not  the  work  of  the  Second  Isaiah,  must  therefore  have  been 
written  before  the  vigorous  reforms  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah  (432). 

( 2 )  It   was   probably   at   first   open    to   the    Samaritans,    as   being   partly    of 
Israelitish   origin,    and   professedly   worshipers   of  Jhvh,    to   gain   admission   into 

20  the  Jewish  community,  upon  compliance  with  certain  conditions.  Some  of  the 
Jewish  prophets  would  appear  from  v.  i  to  have  made  overtures  to  them  with 
a  view  to  this  incorporation. 

(3)  Way  =  moAe  of  worship.  (4)   See  on  66,17,  and  c/.  1,29.  2.3 

(5)  i.  e.  altars  made  of  (sun-dried)  bricks. 

25  (6)    For  the  purpose  of  getting  inspired    dreams   or    necromantic    oracles.  4 

The   secret  places  are  sacred    caves,    where    familiar    spirits    (cf.  29,4)    were 

thought  to  be  accessible.     See  W.  R.  Smith,   Rel.  of  the  Sein.,  sec.  ed.,  p.  198. 

(7)    i.e.  in    sacrificial    meals   (see    on    66,3.17).       "There   is   no   necessity 

whatever   to   supj^ose   that   the   custom   had   been    lately    borrowed    either    from 

30  Babylonia  or  from  Egypt.  Indeed,  it  is  not  so  easy  to  say  where  the  pig  did 
not  occupy  an  honorable  place  among  sacrificial  animals,  except  indeed  among 
strict  Jews"  {/iitr.  Is.,  p.  365).  On  other  occasions  no  doubt  swine's  flesh  was 
tabooed;  in  later  times  the  Roman  emperor  Elagabalus  (21S-222  A.  D.),  who 
was   a   Syrian,  rigorously  abstained  from  it. 

35  (^)    C7-  chapter  66,  verse  17. 

(9)  The  initiated  persons   warn   their   friends   not   to  come   too   near   them,  5 
lest   they  should   themselves   become   tabooed,   and   be   incapacitated  for  profane 
or  secular  business.     There  is  an  exact  parallel  in   Ezek.  44,  19;  46,20  (said  of 
the  priests  of  Jhvh).     Here,  how'ever,  it  is  the  sanctity  of  a  small  close  mystic 

40  corporation  which  is  referred  to.  To  this  Ezra  and  his  school  were  funda- 
mentally opposed;  all  Jhvh's  people  should  be  alike  holy. 

(10)  See  on  chapter  56.  verse  7.  7 

(11)  The  (faithful)  Jews  are  as  few,  compared  to  the  Samaritans  and  their  8 
Jewish  allies,  as  the  good  grapes  in  a  cluster  compared  to  the  poor.     But  just 

45  as  the  vintager  does  not  reject  any  cluster  which  has  even  a  few  good  grapes 
containing  the  precious  new  wine,  so  Jhvh  will  spare  the  population  of  Pales- 
tine for  the  sake  of  His  true  servants. 

(12)  The  fori^ctfulness  showed   itself  in    the    refusal    of   the   .Samaritans    to  11 
partake  in  the  legally  constituted  rites  of  the  Temple. 

50  (13)    Not   that  Jhvh    was   passed   over   in  the   Samaritan    worship,    but    the 

writer  will  not  condescend  to  contrast  the  true  and  the  false  Jhvh.  Fortune 
(Heb.    Gad)   and   Destiny   {Metii)   are  two  well-known   Syrian   deities.     Tables 


199  — !"i^«@ii- (Jlotco  on  5  38a'«9  ■*^*^**—  65.15-66,5 

laden  with  food,  and  spread  before  the  idols,   were  common  in  heathenism  ((/.  65 
Herod,  i ,  iSi .  1S3). 

(14)  The  names  of  the  leaders  of  the  Samaritans  (Sanballat  &c. )  will   only  15 
survive   in   the  speech   of  those   who   curse,    but   the    faithful  Jewish   connnunity 

5  will  receive  a  new  name  (62,2)  corresponding  to  its  altered  fortunes,  and  as 
much  higher  than  Israel,  as  Israel  was  higher  than  Jacob,  such  a  name,  per- 
haps, s&  Jhvh  our  righteousness  (Jer.  23,6).  We  need  not,  however,  suppose 
that  the  name  of  Israel  is  to  be  entirely  displaced  by  the  new  name. 

(15)  Cf.   66,22;    51,6   (both   late).      The   writer  goes   beyond   the  Second  17 
10  Isaiah,   who  contented  himself  (51,6)    with   an    assurance    that  the    old    order 

changes  without  giving  the  reins  to  his  imagination. 

(i5)    ;.  e.  patriarchal  longevity  shall  be  the  rule   (</.  Enoch  10,  10).     Unlike  20 
the  author  of  25 ,  S,  this  writer  leaves  a  place  for  death   in   the  new  Jerusalem. 

(17)   This  looks  like  an  oversight  (see  v.  2511). 
15  (18)    Cf.   Job    14,8.9.  22 

(19)   Three  quotations,    one   of  them   paraphrastic,    from   11,6.7.9.  25 

(Itofea   on   (propBccj  \\. 

(p-  114) 

(i)   The   Samaritan   temple   on   Mount  Gerizim   was   possibly   built   for    that  66,1 
20  member   of   the   high-priestly   family   whom   Nehemiah   expelled  from    Jerusalem 
because    he   was   the    son-in-law    of  Sanballat   (Neh.  13,28).      But   the   plan   of 
building  such  a  temple  may  have  been  formed   earlier.     The  prophet  seems   to 
be  aware  of  this  plan,  and  takes  high  spiritual  ground   in   dealing   with   it.     No 
temple,  he  says,  is  worthy  of  Jhvh,  whose  foot-stool  is  not  merely  the  sanctuary 
25  (60,  13)  but  the  whole  earth.     He  permits  indeed  the  Temple   at  Jerusalem,  as 
He  permits  the  sacrifices,   but  only  out  of  condescension  to  the  human  craving 
for  symbols.     (The  writer  does  not  say  this,   nor  would   he  have  so   formulated 
his   thought,    but  something    like   this    lies   at    the   root   of   the   seemingly   anti- 
sacrificial  Psalms,  40,  i-ii  ;  50;  51,  1-17;  cf.  also  on  Is.  43,23).     And  if  there 
30  is  to  be  a   temple  at  all,    the  only  acceptable   worshiper  is   the   humble-minded 
and  obedient  Jewish  believer  (cf.  on  57.  15). 

(2)  Nearly  the  same  phrase  occurs  in  the  Book  of  Ezra  (9,4;   10,3).  2 

(3)  A    contrast    to     trembling     obedience     to    Jhvh's    word.       That    word  3 
included  sacrifice  within  its  range,  and  prohibited  the  unnatural  offerings  of  the 

35  heathen,  such  as  those  which  the  half-Jews  combined  with  more  legitimate 
sacrifices.  The  reference  is  to  certain  exceptional  sacrifices  offered  on  special 
occasions,  and  accompanied  with  meals,  in  which  the  worshipers  partook  of  the 
meat  of  the  victims  with  the  blood  (see  note  5,  and  cf.  65,4;  Zech.  9,7). 
The  victims  selected  were  such  as  were  strictly  tabooed  (/.  e.  virtually  unclean) 

40  in  ordinary  life.  Human  sacrifices  (S7,5)  may  have  been  the  rarest;  at  any 
rate,  cc.  65 .  66  contain  no  references  to  cannibalism.  We  are  told  that  the 
Sepharvite  immigrants  into  the  land  of  Northern  Israel  burned  their  children  to 
their  god  (2  Kings  17,31),  but  this  rite  can  hardly  have  been  knowingly 
tolerated  by  the  Persians — by  Darius  (521-4S5),  for  instance,  who   forbade    the 

45  Carthaginians  to  sacrifice  men,  and  to  eat  the  flesh  of  dogs.  Secrecy  must, 
therefore,  have  been  essential  to  these  rites  in  Palestine,  and  on  the  erection 
of  the  temple  on  Mount  Gerizim  they  probably  disappeared.  There  may  be  a 
reference,  not  indeed  to  the  sacrifices,  but  to  some  connected  usages  in  Ezek. 
8,8-13. — A  picture  of  the  top  of  Mount  Gerizim  is  given  in  fudges,  p.  18. 

50  (4)    /.  e..  who   refuse,    on   religious   grounds,  to   have   intercourse   with   you.  5 

Strictly  speaking,  however,   it  was  the  Jews   wlio   could  not  tolerate  the  .Samari- 
tans (Ezra  4 ,  1-3). 


66,  17-24  — »*6^gi5!- (UotcB  on  5  38ata5  ^iS*»^s«-» —  200 

(5)  Cf.  65,3.     JiivH   being  no  longer  regarded   as  a   trustworthy  protector,  66,17 
indivickials     (as     in     Ezekiel's     time,     595-572)     sought     initiation    into    special 
rehgious  brotherhoods,   united   to   the   deity  by   strange   and   horrible   rites.      Cf. 

the  description  in  Ezek.  8 ,  10,  which  refers  apparently  to  a  revived  cultus  of  a 
5  primitive  totemistic  type  (Robertson  Smith,  Religion  of  the  Semites,  p.  338; 
sec.  ed.,  p.  357).  The  sacrificial  meal  which  formed  part  of  this  cultus  (see  note 
3)  was  designed  to  give  the  worshipers  a  mystic  communion  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  a  divine  animal.  The  sacred  blood  was  applied  to  the  extremities  of 
the  body,  which  were  most  in  danger  of  desecration,  to  represent  the  renewed 
10  bond  between  the  god  and  his  worshiper.  The  tip  of  the  ear  is  also  men- 
tioned in  a  similar  connection  in  the  Babylonian  magic  texts,  and  even  the 
description  of  an  orthodox  Israelitish  rite  (see  Ex.  29,20;  Lev.  8,23;  14,14). 
Cf.  Robertson  Smith,  op.  cit,  p.  326;  sec.  ed.,  p.  344. 

(Tloke   on    (propBccj  12. 

(pp.  114- 116) 

( 1 )  This    composition    is,    in    our    ordinary     Bibles,     interwoven     with     the  6 
eleventh   prophecy   against   the   Samaritans,    with   which    indeed    it    is    probably 
contemporaneous  {cf  v.  22  with  65,  17).     The  enemies  referred  to  are  described 
as   all  flesh    (v.  16),    that    is,    as   the    parallel   passage   in  Joel   suggests,    all  the 

20  nations  round  about  Judah  (_cf.  Joel  3,  2.  12;  Zech.  14,  2). 

(2)  The  sudden  regeneration  of  Zion.     Compare  49,  17-21  ;    54,  i. 

(3)  Cf  57. iS;  61,3.  — (4)    Cf.  60,5;   61,6.  — (5)    Cf.  60,4;  49.22.23.        10.12 

(6)  Even   to   mention   the   name   of  Jerusalem   was    deliglitful    to    the    later  13 
writers   [ef.  30,19;   Ps.  122  ,  2  .  3  .  6;. 

25  (7)    Cf.  44.3-4-  (8)    Cf-  34.5.6;   27,1.   14.16 

(9)  i.  e.  such  signs  in   heaven  and  in   the  conformation   of  the   soil    about  19 
Jerusalem  as  are  described  in  Joel  3,15.16.18,   and  especially  Zech.  14,4-10. 

(10)  In  gratitude  for   their  deliverance  the   nations  which  have  not  suffered  20 
in  the  recent  judgment   bring   the  Jews  of  the  Dispersion  with   reverential  care 

30  to  tile  spot  upon  which  Jhvh's  glory  has  so  brilliantly  risen,  vi~.  Jerusalem 
(60,3.9). 

(11)  /.  e.  the  cereal  offerings  (see  Leviticus  2). 

(12)  To  prevent  the  jealous  opposition  of  Jerusalem   priests,   it   is   declared  21 
to  be  God's  will  that  some  of  the  restored  exiles  should   be  admitted  into  the 

35  priesthood.  One  may  presume  that  only  born  Levites  are  meant.  Observe, 
Levite  priests  is  a  common  expression  in  Deuteronomy  (see  on  Deut.  17,9). 
The  adoption  of  it  is  a  sign  that  Ezra  has  not  yet  introduced  the  Levitical 
legislation. 

(13)  See  Isaiah,  chapter  65,  verse  17.  22 

40  (14)   Verses   23   and   24  do   not  connect  well   with   the    preceding    passage,  23 

which  has  a  well-marked  close,  and  are  probably  of  much  later  date.  In 
V.  23  all  flesh  means,  not  all  mankind  (as  in  v.  16),  but  all  the  Jews  including 
proselytes  (as  in  Joel  2,28),  while  the  rebels  of  v.  24  (as  usage  shows)  are 
not    any   heathen    enemies    but    unfaithful   Jews    (see   f.  ,?•.  46,8;   59,13).      The 

45  word  used  for  abhorrence  occurs  again  only  in  Dan.  12,2,  and  the  description 
of  the  fate  of  the  dead  bodies  in  v.  24  exceeds  in  horror  anything  to  be  found 
in  cc.  56-  66. 

(15)   This   does   not   imply  that   nowliere   except   in    Zion   can   the   true   God 
be  worshiped.     Synagogues  already  existed. 

50  (16)   The  judgment   extended,    as    another    late    writer    not    obscurely   hints  24 

(33.  14).  to  the  sinners  in  Zion. 


Qtofce  on  5  36ata3 -5SS»#3»*<- —  66,24-34,16 

(17)  Cf.  Enoch  27,2.3.  Tins  accursed  valley  (Gehenna)  is  for  those  who  66,24 
are  accursed  for  ever  .  .  .  And  hi  the  last  days  there  will  be  the  spectacle  of 
a  righteous  judgment  upon  thon  in  the  presence  of  the  righteous  continually  for 
ever.  On  the  consciousness  of  pain  spoken  of,  cf.  50,  11  end,  and  Job  14,22. 
5  According  to  primitive  races,  "the  mutilation  of  the  body  will  have  a  corre- 
sponding effect  upon  the  soul"  (Tvlor,  Primitive  Culture,  i,  407).  The 
quenchless  fire  reminds  us  of  a  similar  detail  in  the  prophecy  against  Edom 
(34,  10).  Observe,  we  hav-e  here  primarily  a  visible,  not  an  invisible  Gehenna. 
But  since  the  souls  sympathize  with  the  outraged  bodies,  the  transition  to  the 
10  later  Jewish  belief  (see  Targum)  was  easy.     Cf.  Mark  9,43.44. 

(Itofce   on   (propBccp  13. 

(pp.  116-11S) 

(i)   This  and  the  next  chapter  were  inserted  as  a  suitable  close  to  cc.  1-33  34 >  i 
(see  34,  16).     Although  not  closely  connected,  they  may  have  the  same  author. 

15  Both  were  evidently  written  in  Judah,  and  are  late  post-Exilic  works.  Both, 
too,  are  highly  imitative,  c.  34  being  mainly  based  on  the  Oracle  on  Babylon 
in  c.  13,  c.  35  on  the  Second  Isaiah  and  its  supplement.  The  description  in  c. 
34  is  purely  imaginative.  The  Edomites  had  already  been  expelled  from  their 
ancient    territory    by    the    Nabateans    (before   b.  c.    312),   and    a    part    of    the 

20  survivors  migrated  into  Southern  Judah,  and  established  themselves  there  (cf. 
I  Mace.  5,65).  This  occupation  of  Jewish  territor>-,  which  took  place  probably 
by  stages,  and  may  have  begun  as  early  as  the  time  of  the  Exile,  kept  the 
ancient  grudge  (Obad.  11 -14,  Ps.  137,7)  against  Edom  alive,  and  made  it  all 
the  more  natural  to  take  the  Edomites  as  a  type  of  the  enemies  of  Israel  (cf. 

25  63,  1-6). 

(2)  In   time  past  Jhvh,    it   is    said,    took    signal   vengeance    on    the    super-  5 
natural  powers    of  heaven   (Job   4,18;    21,22;    25,2;    cf.   Is.  24,21).     Not   less 
signal  will  be  His  vengeance  upon  Edom.     Here  two  favorite  figures  seem  to  be 
combined:  (a)  the  divine  anger  as  an  intoxicating  liquid  (Hos.  5,  10;  Is.  51  ,  17; 

30  Ps.  75,8),  and  (b)  the  agency  of  the  divine  anger  as  a  sword  (27,  i;  Deut. 
32,41-43). 

(3)  Symbolic    expressions    for    the    Edomites.     "The  greatest   sheep   flocks  6 
which    I    have    seen    of  the    Arabs    were    in    the    rocky    coomb-land    between 
Shobeck  and   Petra"    (Doughty,  Arabia  Deserta,  i,  39).     The   mention   of  the 

35  fat  is  explained  by  Lev.  3,3.4. 

(4)  i.e.  a  sacrificial  feast  (cf.  Zeph.  i  ,  7  ;  Ezek.  39  ,  17  .  iS).  Bozrah,  an 
Edomitish  capital  (63,1;  Gen.  36,33;  Am.   1,12). 

(5)  This   may   plausibly   be   taken   for  a  graphic  description  of  an   eruption  10 
of  bitumen  (Sir  J.  W.  D.\wson). 

40  (6)  i.  e.  by  heralds.  (7)  See  on  13,21.   12.14 

(8)  The  name  (which  seems  to  have  Assyrio-Babylonian  affinities)  is  that 
of  a  demon  thought  to  persecute  men  and  women  in  their  sleep.  Charms 
against  Lilith  may  be  bought  to-day  in  East  London.     Cf.  Prov.  30,  15. 

(9)  These  two  lines  are  parenthetical.     The  author  appeals   to   his   readers  16 
45  as  students  of  Scripture  (cf.  Dan.  9,2);  for  Scripture  our  prophecy  has  become 

through  being  appended  to  a  collection  of  Isaianic  prophecies.  'Take  the 
Book  of  Isaiah  with  you  to  Edom,  and  you  will  find  that  this  reference  to 
wild  beasts  is  strictly  accurate.' 


35,2-63,10  ^>*6^{%ffls- QtotcB  on  5  38ata5  •«®96eM-«^  202 

(llotce  on  (prop^ecg  14. 

(pp.    IliS.  119) 

(i)  Observe  the  love  of  plants  manifest  in  tliis  prophecy.  The  reference  35,2 
here  is  to  the  beautiful  white  narcissus  {cf.  Song  of  Sol.  2,1),  so  common  in 
5  spring  in  the  plain  of  Sharon.  In  v.  7  the  reeds  and  rushes  (1.  16)  are  such  as 
would  grow  on  the  shores  of  a  lake  (see  line  11).  The  graceful  papyrus  itself 
grows  at  the  north  end  of  the  Plain  of  Gennesaret,  close  to  the  fountain  called 
Aiii  el-T"in. 

(2)  The   causeivay    is    not    merely,    like   those   in  49,11,    for    the   returning  8 
10  exiles,    but   for   pilgrims   to   the   house   of  Jhvh   {cf.  19,23).     Hence   the   stress 

laid  on  the  piiri/y   both  of  tliose   who   pass   over   it  and   of  the  causeway  itself 
{cf.  Lev.  4,12,   a  clean,  or  pure,  place;  Is.  66,20,  a  clean,  or  pure,  vessel). 

(3)  /.  c.  from  its  lair  in  the  thickets  (Jer.  4,7).  9 

(4)  A   vague  poetical   description   of  a  vision  which  cheered  the  heart  but  10 
15  had    no   basis   in   the   dull   world   of  reality.     The  great   Return  of  the  exiles  is 

long  past,   and  the  Restoration   of  the  Jews   of  the   Dispersion   is  a  hope  which 
has    no    roots    in    the    present.      For    the   phraseology,    compare  51,3.10.11; 

61  ,  7  ;    62  ,  12. 

(Itoko  on  (propficcj  15. 

(pp.  120-122) 

(i)  A  liturgical  composition  of  great  historical  and  even  theological  interest.  63,7 
Opening   like   a    Psalm   of   thanksgiving    {cf.   Pss.  89,1-S;    106,1-5),    it    closes 
like   one   of  the   Lamentations.     Between,    we    have    a    retrospect  of   past   mer- 
cies  {cf.   Ps.  106,6-46),   and   a   supplication    for    deliverance    from   the   peril  of 

25  national   ruin   which   rises   into   almost   Titanic   boldness    (63,17-64,3). 

When  was  this  great  work  written  ?  Differing  materially,  as  it  does,  from 
the  other  prophecies  in  Is.  60-66,  and  expressing  a  depth  of  misery  beyond 
all  parallel  (except  it  be  in  cc.  24-27),  it  can  hardly  be  placed  earlier  than 
that   other   remarkable   liturgical   work,  26,2-19.     The  cruel   Artaxerxes  Ochus 

30  (359-338)  had  invaded  and  reconquered  Egypt,  and  on  his  way  back  had 
taken  a  fearful  vengeance  on  Sidon.  It  would  appear  that  after  this  Ochus 
dispatched  his  general  Bagoas  to  chastise  the  Jews  for  their  share  in  the  revolt, 
and  (see  on  cc.  24-27)  sent  a  number  of  them  as  captives  into  distant  lands. 
It  was  on  this  occasion  (and  not  earlier,  as  Josephus  supposed)  that  the  Temple 

35  was  desecrated,  and  one  can  well  believe  that  still  worse  things  happened, 
of  which  Josephus  has  given  scarcely  a  hint,  but  which  are  alluded  to  in 
64,11,  and  possibly,  too,  in  Ps.  74,7  {cf.  79,1,  where  defiled  must  be  equi- 
valent to  destroyed). 

(2)  Not  an   angel   who  was    a    mere  messenger,    but    the  Angel  of  Jiii'H,  9 
40  in   whom  Jhvh  Himself  was  present   (Gen.  16,7,   and  often),   and  who   in  Ex. 

33,14   is   called   by  Jhvh    my  presence    or    ;«>'   personal   manifestation    (lit.  )iiy 
face;  cf.  59,  2). 

(3)  The   whole   history   of  Israel    is    regarded  as   a   series   of   backslidings.   10 
The   spirit  is   not   the   prophetic    spirit    (as    in    the    Second   Isaiah)    which    was 

45  to  qualify  Israel  to  be  a  teacher  of  the  nations,  but  the  spirit  of  guidance 
and  direction  {cf.  v.  14) ;  it  is  in  fact  equivalent  to  the  face  of  Jhvh  in  v.  9 
and  Ex.  33, 14.  Holy  suggests  the  ideas  of  awfulness  and  gloriousness.  It  is 
a  favorite  word  with  late  writers,  who  apply  it  more  and  more  freely  to  sacred 
objects   ideally  or  really  distinct  from  Jhvh   Himself      The    holy  spirit  in  this 

50  passage    is   in   fact   endowed   with    a   kind    of  independence    (note   pained).     In 


203  — »*ei5*@Si- (Jlof£6  on  5  36ata^ -ssssjfsw-:- —  63,11-24,1 

44 , 3,  on   the   other   hand,    the   spirit  is    rather    viewed    as    a    potent    influence  63 
(parallel  to  blessing). 

(4)  Cf.  Deuteronomy  32,7;  Psalm  77,5.  11 

(5)  /.  e.  from  the  Nile  (18,2),   alluding  to  the  wonderful  deliverance  of  the 
5  child  Moses  (Ex.  2,3-10). 

(6)  /.  e.  enabled  him  to  work  miracles.  12 

(7)  i.  e.  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  (same  phrase  in  Psalm  77,  16).  13 
(S)  The  figure   of  the  horse  in  the  pasture-land  describes  the  freedom  and  14 

ease  with  which  the  Israelites  could  go  lkroug;h  the  deeps ;  that  of  the  cattle 
10  which  go  doivn  into  the  valley,  the  safety  with  which  they  went  down  into 
the  bed  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  came  up  again  from  it.  The  second  figure  is 
derived  from  the  life  of  a  nomadic  people  with  herds  of  cattle  which  peri- 
odically change  their  pasturage. 

(9)  Jhvh,  then,  did   not  now  dwell    in   Zion   (Mai.  3,1).     Compare  Dante  15 
15  {Purgatory,  6,118,  Longfellow's  translation): 

And  if  it  lawful  be,  O  Jove  Supreme  ! 
Who  upon  earth  for  us  wast  crucified. 
Are  thy  just  eyes  averted  otherwhere? 

(10)  Evidently  there  were    some   Jews   who    regarded    these    patriarchs  as  16 
20  semi-divine  beings,  capable  of  helping  those  who  applied  to  them  (cf.  Job  5,1). 

This  appears   like  an  anticipation   of   the  Talmudic   doctrine   of  the   merits  of 
the  fathers. 

(11)  The  idea  seems   to    be   that   by   His   excessive   anger    at    the   sins   of  17 
the  past,    revealed  in   the   calamities   of  the  present,   Jhvh   hardened   the  char- 

25  acter  of  the  people,   and    made    it  seem  vain   to  serve   God  (Mai.  3,14).     Cf. 
57,  16;  64,5.7. — Return  (next  line);  see  on  52,8. 

(12)  It   was   many   centuries  before  the  guilt  of  ancient   Israel   had  become  iS 
so  great  that  nothing  but  captivity  could  e.xpiate  it.    And  now,  not  two  hundred 
years  after  the  words  of   40 , 2    had    been    written,    it    seemed    that    a    similar 

30  penalty  was  about  to  be  exacted.     How  sinful  must  Israel   have  become  !  and 
yet  how  cruel  was  its  fate  !     Such  were  the  writer's  thoughts. 

(13)  See  on  chapter  26,  verse  13^.  19 

(14)  Exceeding  our  wildest  dreams.  64,3 

(15)  See    on    63,17.      A    diflerent    and    a    higher   view    is    taken    in    Ezek.  5 

35  33.  lo-  II- 

(16)  To   the   Second   Isaiah  Jerusalem   is   the  only  holy  city   (48,2;    52,1).   10 
Hence   the   gloss   substituting   Zion.     On   the   historical   reference    in    this   verse, 
see  note  i. 

(17)  Between    515    and    350    there  was    time    for    the    Second    Temple    to  ii 
40  attain   some    degree   of   magnificence.     The    period   was    long    enough,    too,    to 

justify  the  phrase  where  our  fathers  praised  Thee. 

(llofce  on  (prop^ccp  16. 

(pp.  122-128) 

(i)  At  this  point  begins  a  mosaic  of  passages,  in  which  sometimes  the  24,  i 
45  descriptive,  sometimes  the  prophetic  and  apocalyptic,  sometimes  the  lyrical 
element  predominates.  Less  editorial  skill  than  usual  is  manifest  in  the  work, 
and  it  has  therefore  been  thought  best  to  rearrange  the  contents  of  these 
chapters.  The  two  really  important  parts,  though  evidently  not  quite  contem- 
poraneous, belong  not  less  evidently  to  about  the  same  period.  The  imagery 
50  is   that   of  the   later    prophecies    and   of   apocalyptic   writings.     The    destruction 


24.5-12  — »4«)g«i*- (Jlofco  on  5  36ata6 -«B*5!s«-^  204 

of  the  present  order  of  thint;s  is  described  (24,1.18-20)  as  in  Ezelc.  38,  24 
19.20;  Hag.  2.  6.  7  ,  21 ;  Joel  3,i5;  Zecli.  14,4.5.  All  nations  will  go  up  to 
Momit  Zion  (where  the  writer  dwells)  for  spiritual  privileges  (25,6),  as  in 
65,20.21;  Zech.  14,16-19.  The  host  of  the  (heavenly)  height  will  be  com- 
5  mitted  to  prison  (24,21)  as  in  Enoch  18,13-16.  Deceased  Israelites  will 
be  awakened  by  a  special  divine  application  of  one  of  the  simplest  natural 
phenotnena  (26,19);  the  image  may  be  suggested  by  Ezek.  38 , 9,  where, 
however,  the  symbol  chosen  is  the  blowing  of  the  wind.  The  three  powers 
which   oppressed   the   Jews    are    described    (27,1)    in    the    enigmatical   style    of 

10  Dan.  7,  and  not  less  apocalyptic  in  character  is  the  horn  of  27,13.  The 
social  state  of  Judah  described  in  24 ,  2  is  equally  in  favor  of  a  post-E.xilic 
date  (the  priests  are  the  foremost  class). 

But  to  what  part  of  the  great  post-E.xilic  period  do  these  two  documents 
belong?     Most  probably   the   former   is   a   monument   (like   63,7-64,12)  of  the 

15  terrible  time  when,  after  having  reconquered  Egypt  and  destroyed  Sidon, 
Arta.xer.xes  Ochus  (about  350)  cruelly  punished  the  Jews  for  having  taken 
part  in  the  general  rebellion.  Tradition  has  preserved  but  few  details  respecting 
this  period.  We  are  told,  however,  that  captive  Jews  were  carried  away  to 
Hyrcania   near  the   Caspian    Sea,    and    to     Babylonia ;    and   it    is    probable    that 

20  Jerusalem,  though  not  so  completely  destroyed  as  Sidon,  was  left  by  the 
retiring  Persians  in  a  miserable  condition  (see  on  27,10.  11).  Passages  like 
24,  14 -15a  are  only  in  seeming  opposition  to  this  view.  For  in  334  Alexander 
the  Great  crossed  the  Hellespont,  and  marched  victoriously  through  Asia 
Minor — reason   enough    for    the    songs   of   praise    ascribed    in    that    passage    to 

25  the  Jews  of  the  far  countries  of  the  sea.  The  closing  years  of  the  Persian  rule 
are  not  likely  to  have  brought  relief  to  the  Jews  of  Palestine.  They  had  still 
good  cause  to  complain  of  their  misery  and  of  the  robbers  who  preyed  upon 
them,  as  the  unknown  writer  does  in  24  ,  17.  The  second  document,  how- 
ever,   marks   a   change    in    the    condition    of   things   in  Judah.     A    fortified   city 

30  (Tyre)  has  been  utterly  destroyed,  while  Jerusalem,  not  through  its  natural 
strength,  but  by  the  help  of  its  God,  has  escaped  (332).  Still  the  writer  is 
fully  conscious  of  his  unideal  surroundings.  He  escapes  for  a  time  into  the 
world  of  faith,  and  sjieaks  as  if  a  full  salvation  has  been  wrought,  but  he 
is   satisfied  at   the   close   of   his    meditation    to    rest    on    a    sure   promise   which 

35  has  just   been   revealed   to   him — the   promise   of  a  resurrection. 

The  date  of  the  three  inserted  lyric  passages  need  not  be  later  than  that 
of  the  two  main  documents.  25  ,  2  .  4  seems  to  allude  to  26 .  5  .  6,  and  25  ,  10 
to  25 , 5,  while  27 , 5  suggests  a  mode  of  reconciling  the  liberality  and  ten- 
derness   of    25,6.7   and    the    bitter    hostility    of    25,10.11.      The    mention    of 

40  Moab  does  not  help  us  to  determine  the  date.  In  no  part  of  the  post-Exile 
period  were  the  Moabites  dangerous  to  Israel.  .Moab,  like  Edom,  may  be  a 
type  of  all  the  proud  enemies  of  Israel  {cf.  Neh.  13,  i  ;  Ezra  9,1). 

(2)  An    allusion    to    the   covenant  with    Noah   (Gen.  9,1-17,    late).     Somes 
of  the  heathen    are    waiting  for    God's    tazc    (53,4);    others    are  forgetful  of 

45  God  (Ps.  9,17;  ef.  Ps.  22,27).  Eater  Judaism  adopted  and  exaggerated  the 
latter  statement. 

(3)  Lit.  the    City  of  Tohii   (/.  e.   of  Chaos,    Gen.  1,2),    the    most    striking  10 
expression    for  disorder   and    lifelessness.      The    Greek   Bible   has   simply   every 
city;   the  translator  considered  tohu  superfluous  after  the  verb  which  he  selected 

50  [was  laid  waste).  Very  possibly  he  is  right  in  seeing  a  reference  to  more 
than  one  city.  Both  Sidon  and  (probably)  Jerusalem  were  broken  dozen  by  the 
ruthless  Artaxer.xes  Ochus  (see  on  27,  10.  11 ;  64,  10.  11). 

(4)  Verses  7-12  give  a  somewhat  heightened  description  of  the  desolation  12 
produced   by   the  wars   of  Ochus,  not   without   a   special   allusion  to  the  fate    of 

55  Sidon  and  Jerus.ileni. 


205  — 54«g«Ss- (JlofcB  on  5  ^eaia^ -am^^s^*^ —  24.  13-27,1 

(5)    The    depopulation,    not    only    of  Judah,    but    of   a    large    part    of   the  24,13 
Eastern   world   in   general,    at  the  close   of   the   Persian  period   (331).     For  the 
figure,    c/.  17 , 5.      A    similar    picture    is    given,    in    less    poetical    language,    in 
26,  iS  (end),  with  special,  but  not  exclusive,  reference  to  Judah. 
5  (6)   The  jubilation  of  the  Jews   of  Asia   Minor  at  the   successes   of  Jhvh's  15 

instrument,  Alexander  the  Great. 

(7)  i.e.  neither  Jhvh,    nor  Alexander,    but   Israel    (if.  26,  2.7).  16 

(8)  Heb.  plikhad  wa-ptikhat/t,  wa-pdkh,  a  paronomasia  which  cannot  well  be  17 
imitated  in  English. 

10  (9)   These    eschatological     details    are    given    as    shortly    as    possible.     The  22 

writer  presumes  on  well-informed  readers  who  can  fill  up  his  hints,  and  hastens 
on  to  a  description  of  far  greater  religious  interest  both  for  himself  and  for 
us.  The  hostility  between  Jhvh  and  the  powers  of  heaven  is  an  idea  of 
pronounced    mythic    affinities    {cf.   on  27,  i).      The    passage    also    implies    the 

15  belief  in  celestial  patrons  of  the  earthly  kingdoms  (Dan.  lo,  13.20.21).  What 
the  final  issue  of  the  divine  judgment  on  the  astral  spirits  and  on  the  kings 
of  the  earth  will  be,  we  are  not  told  (but  see  27,1).  Ps.  82,7  threatens 
the  former,  and  perhaps  the  latter  also,  with  death,  as  a  punishment  for 
their    misrule.      Cf.  Enoch    18,13-16,    and    Jude  6,    and   other   New   Testament 

20  passages.  Between  the  first  and  the  second  visitation  may  be  placed  the 
gathering  in  of  the  Jewish  Dispersion. 

(10)  Jhvh,   now  become    king  of   all    nations,    offers    to   His   subjects,    the  25,6 
new  as  well  as  the   old,   a   splendid   feast  of  coronation   {cf.  i  Kings  1,9.25), 
which   however  should,    in   sympatliy   with    the   writer,    be    interpreted    symboli- 

25  cally.  Food  and  drink,  as  the  Psalter  shows,  were  in  the  post-Exilic  period 
emblems  of  the  joys  of  communion  with  God  ( Pss.  23 ,  5  ;  36,8;  63 ,  5 ;  cf. 
also   Is.  54,12),  joys   which   are   not  to   be   interpreted   too   spiritualistically. 

(11)  A   wise    man,    who    may   have   lived   when    this    passage   was   written,  S 
tells   us   how  he  had  seen  all    the    oppressions    that    are    done   under  the  sun, 

30  and  behold,  the  tears  of  such  as  were  oppressed  (were  running),  and  they 
had  no  comforter,  and  how  he  praised  the  dead  more  than  the  living  (Eccles. 
4,1.2).  These  tears  the  divine  king  will  make  it  his  first  care  to  wipe 
away.  They  are  shed  everywhere  under  the  sun,  and  to  the  greatest  extent 
where   Israelites   dwell.     Specially,    therefore,    will    the    king    devote    himself   to 

35  removing  the  reproach  of  his  people.  Sorrow,  and  sorrow's  outward  sign,  he 
will  annihilate.  From  how  many  princes,  says  an  Arabian  poet,  did  we  draw 
off  the  veil  of  sorrow  (another  reading  is,  of  death)  that  they  might  see! 
[HamascB  Carmina,  Arabice  et  Latinc,  ed.  G.  G.  Frevtag,  p.  657).  Tears  are 
nature's  veil,    and    the   Jewish    mourner    added    another    by  covering  his  head 

40  like  David  (2  Sam.  15,30).  The  insertion  in  v.  S,  line  i,  need  not  be  of 
much  later  date  than  the  context,  but  interrupts  the  connection  of  thought. 
Moreover,  the  great  and  startling  idea  which  it  expresses  would  certainly  not 
have  been  dropped  as  soon  as  expressed  by  the  prophetic  writer. 

(12)  Symbols  (see  on  30,6;  51,9)  of  the  oppressive  empires  which  are  now  27,1 
45  to   be   punished    by    destruction.     The    sea-monster    is    probably    Egypt    (Ezek. 

29.3;  32,2).  The  two  Leviathans  (cf.  Job  3,8;  26,13)  may  be  Babylonia 
and  Persia,  the  earlier  and  the  later  oppressor  of  Israel.  The  phrase  the  fleeing 
serpent  occurs  again  in  Job  26,13;  it  alludes  to  some  form  of  the  Hebraized 
Babylonian  story  of  the  contest  between  the  monster  which  represented  dark- 
50  ness  and  chaos  and  the  God  of  light  and  order.  Jhvh  had  overcome  the 
dragon,  which  fled  before  Him  as  Tiamat  was  supposed  at  Babylon  to  have  fled 
before  Marduk  (Merodach).  The  Flight  of  the  Dragon  is  represented  on  an 
Assyrian  seal-cylinder  (probably  of  serpentine)  belonging  to  Mr.  F.  Wells 
WiLLl.\MS,    of   New    Haven,    Conn.,    figured    bv    Dr.  W.    H.WES   W.\rd    in    his 


27.  12-  ro 


(Hofco  on  5  36ata5  • 


2o6 


paper  The  Serpent  Tempter  in  Oriental  Mythology,  published  in  Bibliotheea  27 
Sacra,  1S81,  p.  224,  and  copied  in  G.  Smith's  Chaldean  Genesis,  ed.  Savce, 
p.  90.  This  is  the  only  representation  known  in  which  Tiiimat  appears  imder 
the  form  of  a  serpent  fleeing  before  Marduk.  For  the  prevailing  form  of  Tianiat 
5  as  dragon,  see  Am.  Journal  of  Archceology,  vol.  ii,  pi.  5,  fig.  8,  or  Chaldean 
Genesis,  p.  114  {cf.  Lajard,  Culte  de  Mithra,  pi.  xxxvii,  fig.  4).  This  scene 
first  appears  in  Assyrian  art,  although  the  dragon  appears  in  the  oldest  Babylo- 
nian art,  with  the  god  driving  it  harnessed  to  a  chariot,  or  standing  or  seated 
on  its  back. 


WILLUMS    CYLINDER. 


FI..\T    IMPRESSION    ul      V,  ILLI.'iMa    ^  .  i, 
WITH    FLIGHT    OF    DRAGON. 


PEN    AND    INK    DRAWING  FROM  WILLIAMS   CYLINDER. 


10  The    above    engravings    were    made    from   photographs  taken  at  the  United 

States  National  Museum,  Washington.  The  height  of  the  cylinder  is  11/16  in., 
diameter  7/16  in.  The  illustration  given  below  is  taken  from  a  pen  and  ink 
drawing  made  for  Dr.   Ward's  article,  /.  e.,  p.  224. 

(13)  The  visita-  12 
lion  of  Jhvh  ( 27  ,  I ) 
is  described  under 
another  figure,  viz. 
that  of  beating  out 
wheat  (Jud.  6,  11). 
Within  the  fullest 
extent  of  the  Land 
of  Promise  (Gen. 
IS,  18)  the  heathen 
shall  be  blown  away  like  chaff,  and  the  Israelites,  like  grains  of  good  wheat,  be 
25  brought  together.  Nor  shall  those  outside  be  forgotten.  From  the  great  Persian 
empire,  w-hich  has  succeeded  to  those  of  Assyria  and  Babylonia,  and  from 
Egypt,  the  dispersed  Israelites  shall  assemble  to  worship  at  Jerusalem  (cf. 
II  ,  II  .  12). 

(14)  Israel  has  been  smitten,  yea,  slain  (r/^  Pss.  39 ,  10.  11 ;  88.5.15.  16)  10 
30  by  its  offended  God,  though  not  with  such  completeness  of  destruction  as  its 
oppressors.  The  prophecies  in  32,  13.14;  Mic.  3,12,  have  been  fulfilled;  the 
ruthless  Ochus  (359-338)  has  laid  waste  a  large  part  of  the  city.  It  is  the  sad 
consequence  of  Israel's  want  of  discernment,  of  its  lapse  into  illegal  religious 
rites.  That  the  post-Exilic  Jews  were  not  as  a  body  as  correct  in  their  religious 
35  practice  as  is  often  imagined,  we  have  learned  from  cc.  65 .  66,  and  the  gloss  on 
17,8  suggests  that  after  the  Exile  even  sun-pillars  (pillars  placed  beside  the 
altar  of  the  Sun-god,  and  supposed  to  be  tenanted  by  him;  cf.  note  on  Lev. 
26,301  and  Asherahs  (sacred  posts,  of  obscure  significance,  which  also  formed 
part  of  the  objects  of  idolatrous  worship;  see  notes  on  Jud.  3,7)  may  not  have 


207  — »*^^i!- (Uotce  on  5  38ata3 -sSSIsm^- —  27,11-26.19 

been  wholly  unknown.     For  these  sins  Israel,  says  the  writer,  needs  forgiveness,  27 
and  how  easy  are  the  terms  upon  which  forgiveness  may  be  obtained  ! 

(15)   /.  e.    the   branches  of  the   wild   shrubs  with  which  the  ruins  of  the  city  11 
are   overgrown.      The  description    may   have   been    influenced   by   iMic.3,12;    cj. 
5  Is.  32,  14  (late). 

(i5)  According  to  the  editor,  to  whom  the  words  of  introduction  are  due,  26,1 
the  poem  in  four  stanzas  which  follows  is  to  be  sung  in  the  great  coming  Day. 
But  the  poet  himself  is  only  conscious  of  standing  on  the  confines  of  that  happy 
time.     He  writes  for  his  contemporaries,   who  have  yet  much  to  go  through,  not 
10  for   those   who   have   received   the   firstfruits   of  deliverance. 

I  17)  Jhvh's  promise  of  deliverance  is  equivalent  to  walls  and  bulwark  (see 
33,21;  and  cf.  33,6).  Another  prophet,  about  the  same  time,  has  these 
words.  And  I  will  encamp  about  my  house  as  a  watch  (Zech.  9,8). 

(18)  Since  350  Tyre  had  been  the  queen  of  merchant-cities.  To  besiege  it  5 
15  was  an  enterprise  which  appeared  to  surpass  human  ability  (Thirlwall,  His- 
tory of  Greece,  6,  196).  Not  only  was  it  an  island-city,  but  the  walls,  which 
rose  from  the  edge  of  the  cliffs,  were  150  feet  high  on  the  land-side.  Isaiah 
(probably)  and  Ezekiel  had  long  since  predicted  its  fall  (Is.  23,  1-14;  Ezek. 
26 ;    and   more  recently  Joel  had  accused  and  threatened  the  men  of  Tyre  and 

20  Sidon  at  greater  length  than  any  other  people.  Can  we  doubt  that  Alexander's 
terrible  vengeance  on  Tyre  (332)  profoundly  impressed  the  Jewish  world?  Cf. 
on  25,2,  and  see  Zech.  9,1-S,  written  probably  when  Alexander  had  just 
taken  Tyre,  and  was  planning  his  journey  to  Egypt  by  the  road  beside  the  coast. 

(19)  i.  e.  the  Jews  (as   in   the   Psalms),  who   are  also   called  the   righteous,  6 
25  and  whose  land  is  the  lafid  of  rectitude  (v.  10). 

(20)  Here  begins  a  meditation  uttered  by  the  faithful  Israel,   in  which,  as  in  S 
the  parallel  passage  63,7-64,  12,  and  in  the  Psalms,  the  collective  consciousness 
speaks   sometimes   in   the   tirst   person   singular,    sometimes    in    the    first    person 
plural.     It   is   mainly   a   retrospect   of  the   sad    period    through  which    Israel    has 

30  passed. 

(21)  Heathen     lords     (Assyria,     Babylon,    and     more     lately    Persia)     have  13 
infringed   upon  Thy   right   of  sovereignty   (as   63,19),  and   tyrannized   over  Thy 
people.     Human  helpers  had  we  none;  only  Thee  do  we  praise  as  the  Savior  of 
Israel.     But  those  enemies,   where  are  they?     In  the  course  of  nature,  if  a  man 

35  die,  can  he  live  again  f  (Job  14,  14).  Surely  not.  Therefore,  lest  their  tyranny 
should  be  repeated,  the  heathen  lords  have  been  destroyed,  and  so  utterly 
annihilated,  that  their  very  name  has  perished  {cf  Ps.  9,5.6,  post-Exilic).  This 
is  an  exaggeration  produced  by  the  intensity  of  the  writer's  faith.  He  has 
seen    the    beginning    of    the    fulfilment   of   the   promises   to    Israel,    and   cannot 

40  doubt  that  the  end  will  be  as  glorious.  The  past  tyranny  will  be  forgotten  in 
Israel's  new  happiness.  Similar  idealistic  outbursts  occur  in  the  Psalms  of 
Persecution   (see  especially  Ps.  9). 

(22)  The    idealistic  tone    of  vv.   13.14  continues,    but   only   for  a   moment,   15 
(Observe  that  the  first  line   of  each   stanza   links   the   stanza  with  the   preceding 

45  one. )  The  increase  of  the  nation  is  precisely  that  blessing  which  is  most  pain- 
fully missed  (see  v.  iSl").  Cf.  the  last  clause  of  v.  15  with  33,  17b  (post-E.xilic). 
The  close  of  the  stanza  justifies  the  idealism  of  the  opening. 

(23)  These  words  are  a  misplaced  parallel  to  26 ,  5.  25,  12 

(24)  Alluding  to  the  ineffectual  efforts  of  the  Jews  to  rise  out  of  the  social  26,18 
50  disorder  produced  by  the  barbarities  of  Ochus  (359-338),  and  to  the  diminution 

of  the  population  consequent  on  slaughter  and  captivity. 

(25)  Israel,   speaking  in  the  Psalter,  often  becomes  prophetic;    and  such   is  19 
the  case  here.     The  prophecy  is  a   development   of  Ezekiel's   vision   of  the  dry 


25. I -27. 


— ».*«;g«@Ss-  Qtofce  en  5  36ata§  -s^^a** — 


208 


bones  (see  note  i  on  c.  24,  i  i.  l-^zckiel  foretold  the  revival  of  the  nation;  pro-  26 
phetic  Israel  infers  from  this  prophecy  the  resurrection  of  individual  Israelites. 
In  ])articular  it  asks  itself:  How  should  the  martyrs  of  an  earlier  age  miss  their 
reward?  Their  bodies  are  a  precious  seed  (cf.  Ps.  141,7)  which  the  dczc  of 
5  Jj/I'H  (cf.  Hos.  14,  2;  6,5)  can  bring  to  life.  The  hope  of  a  Resurrection  was 
spreading  in  the  Jewish  world,  not  without  the  stimulus  supplied  by  Babylo- 
nian and  Persian  beliefs. — Lights  is  a  name  for  the  highest  heaven  where  Jhvh 
dwells.  The  same  term  is  used  in  the  Avesta  (with  the  epithet  end/ess)  to 
designate  the  heavenly  abode  of  Ahura  Mazda   (Ormuzd). 

10  (26)    Such    perhaps    as    that    on    Tyre    in    23,1-14,     which    were    regarded  25,1 

as   having   received   their  complete   fulfilment  through   Alexander   (see  note   iS, 
on   26 ,  51. 

(27)    Moab  comes  in  rather  strangely  here.     But  see  p.  204,  1.  41.  10 

(2,S)   The  song  is  a  designed  contrast  to  Isaiah's  much  finer  song  in  chapter  27,2 
15  5  (p.  5).     The  briars  and  thorns  (1.  26)  are  Israel's  enemies  {cf.  10.  17;   2  Sam. 
23,  6.7). 


— »*«|g!ai-  Qlotca  on  3Bata3  -iessiss** —  209 


p.  131,  1.  53:  In  the  present  translation  it  has  been  deemed  best  to  rearrange 
the    Prophecies   of  Isaiah.     The  whole   Book   has   been   divided   into   five  parts : 
(i)  the  first  (pp.  1-46)  contains  the  Genuine  Prophecies  of  Isaiah  (incolored) 
interspersed  with   some   editorial   additions  (light  blue)  and  subsequent  poetic  5 
or  prophetic   insertions  (light  red).     Prophecy  i   (pp.  1-4)  comprises  the  first 
collection   of   Isaiah's    prophecies,    and    Prophecy    5    (pp.  g-15)    represents    the 
second  prophetic  collection.     Prophecies  2-4  (pp.  5-9)  are  not  worked  up  with 
the    same  completeness   as   those  formed   into    the    first    two    carefully    prepared 
collections.  —  (2)  The  second   part   (pp.  47-54)  contains   Narratives  founded  on  10 
the   Acts   of  Isaiah   including  prophecies    and   songs   of  disputed   origin.      The 
chapters   in   this   second   part   are  post-Deuteronomic,  /.  e.  later  than  621  b.  c. — 
(3)  The  third  part  (p]5.  55-5S)  contains  Appendices  to  the  genuine  Isaiah  uihereof 
each  nozi'  contains  an   Isaianic  fragment  (16,141"^;  21,16.17,  both  uncolored; 
see  pp.  57,  1.  15;  58,  1.  S). — (4)  The  fourth  part  (pp.  59-96)  contains  Prophecies  15 
on  the  Fall  of  Babylon  (538  B.  c. )  by  tinkno2vn  writers  at  the  close  of  the  Exile. 
The   most   important   of  them   is  the  Second  Isaiah,  whose   original  prophecies, 
apart  from   subsequent   insertions,   are   represented   by  cc.  40-48    (d,\ric   red). 
His  work  (written  between  545  and  539   B.  c.)  was  afterwards  provided  with  an 
Appendix,  cc.  49-55    (about  432  b.  c.  ),  and  the   expanded  Book  of  the  Second  20 
Isaiah   was   further   enlarged   by  incorporation   of  a  cycle  of  poetic  passages  on 
the   Servant  of  JHVH  (dark    pi'RPLE).     The   passages   by  which  the   Songs   on 
the   Servant  are   connected   with    the   prophetic   framework    (42,5-7;    49,7-12; 
Si,4''.5'>;  DARK  blue)  Seem  to  be  due  to  an  editor  who  was  neither  the  Second 
Isaiah,  nor  the   expander   of  the  Second   Isaiah's  work. — (5)  The  fifth  part  (pp.  25 
97-128)  contains  Prophecies  composed  after  the  Pall  of  Babylon  (53S  B.  c. ). 

The  object  of  this  arrangement  has  been  to  obtain  some  at  least  of  the 
advantages  of  chronological  arrangement  without  unduly  interfering  with  the 
skilful  work  of  the  ancient  editors.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  ancient  collec- 
tions of  Isaiah's  prophecies  have  not  been  entirely  broken  up,  and  their  con-  30 
tents  redistributed.  A  strict  adherence  to  the  chronological  principle  would  not 
have  been  in  the  interest  of  the  reader.  Nor  must  the  student  be  startled  if  he 
does  not  find  all  insertions  which  have  the  nature  of  glosses  relegated  to  the 
foot  of  the  page.  Where  this  is  not  the  case,  the  reason  has  generally  been, 
that  the  insertion  is  not  merely  a  gloss,  but  a  substitute  for  an  illegible  passage  35 
of  the  original  work  (cf.  pp.  130,  1.  14;  140,  1.  41  ;  147,  1.  6;  149,  1.  46;  155,  1.  28; 
168,  1.  10;  179,  1.  44).  A  good  instance  of  this  is  9,  15.  16  (p.  8),  or  the  last  line 
of  6,  13  (p.  10).  The  latter  passage  would  end  rather  abruptly  without  some 
appendage  to  the  preceding  lines.  For  this  reason  the  words  in  question  have 
not  been  relegated  to  the  foot  of  the  page.  40 

A  full  statement  of  the  evidence  for  this  view  of  the  origin  of  the  Book  of 
Isaiah,  with  indications  of  the  points  which  are  obscure  or  doubtful,  has  been 
given  in  an  Introduction  to  the  Book  of  Isaiah  by  the  present  writer  ( London, 
1S95)  ;  c/-  3lso  Recent  Study  of  Isaiah  in  the  fournal  of  Biblical  Literature, 
Boston,   1S97.  45 

P.  144,  1.  2 :  It  has  recently  been  suggested  by  an  American  scholar  that 
For  with  its  is  Cod  in  the  last  line  of  v.  8  (p.  13,  1.  7)  is  Isaiah's,  but  that  vv. 
9. 10  were  added  by  a  later  hand.  The  name  Iminanuel  in  7, 16  {cf.  p.  141,  1.  27) 
is  supposed  to  express,  not  the  prophet's  faith,  but  the  false  faith,  the  ungrounded 
confidence,  of  the  king  and  the  people.  The  case  for  the  late  date  of  8 ,  9 .  10,  50 
together  with  the  refrain  For  with  us  is  God,  p.  13,   1.  12,  seems  a  very  plausible 


210  — »4«)(J«ga:- (Jloti-0  on  360ia3  •«I«H>a*«— 

one,  but  not  as  ovfrwlielminc^ly  strong  as  that  for  tlie  late  date  of  other 
passages. 

P.  145,  1.  17:  The  title  Fatker  of  Spoil  (p.  15,  1.  2)  seems  most  infelicitous. 
But  the  rendering  of  AV,  The  everlasting  Father,  or  Father  of  Eternity  (R\'M), 
5  does  not  give  a  perfectly  natural  sense  in  this  conte.\t.  The  line  Then  zvill  spoil 
in  abundance  be  divided  (33 .  23'';  p.  40,  1.  13),  where  spoil  in  abundance  has  been 
supposed  to  allude  to  Father  of  Spoil  in  9,6  (cf.  p.  159,  note  57),  is  not  free 
from  the  suspicion  of  corruptness.  Father  of  Glory  (Web.  Abi-hod)  would  be 
an  easy  correction.  The  sense  is  just  what  is  wanted.  The  Messianic  king  is, 
10  of  course,   clothed  with  the  divine  glory. 

v.  149,  1.  31:  Add  after  elsewhere:  (see  Chevne,  Introduction  to  Isaiah, 
London,   1S95,   p.  79). 

P-  '55)  1- 39  •    After  Second  Isaiah  :u\i\  :  and  his  e.rpanders ;  so,    too,  pp.   1S5, 

1.  27;   193,  I.  6;  195,  1.  44;   199,  1.  10  ;  20I,  1.  17;  202,  1.  44;  203,  1.  36.     In  all  these 

15  cases  Second  Isaiah  is   used  for  the  expanded   book  of  the  Second  Isaiah    (cc. 

40-55)  ;  '/■  P-  '31.   1-  17- 

F.  166,  1.  16:  The  Parable  of  the  Vineyard  in  c.  5  (p.  5)  is  a  quasi-popular 
song,   not  an   elaborate  artistic   composition. 

P.  173,   1.  43:  The  Triumphant  Ode  in  c.  14  seems  to  have  been  inserted  by 

20  the  editor.  It  is  probably  contemporary  with  the  late  poem  in  37,  22-29  (P-  S')- 
like  which  it  appears  to  refer  to  Sennacherib  (n.  c.  705-681).  Both  poems  may 
have  belonged  to  a  lyric  anthology. 

P.  1S2,  1.  48:  The  Appendix  (cc.  49-55)  to  the  Book  of  the  Second  Isaiah 
(cc.  40-48)   was  written  after   the   introduction   of  Ezra's   lawbook  (1432115.0.), 

25  not  in  Palestine,  however,  but  in  Babylonia.  The  writer  had  the  twofold  object 
of  encouraging  the  community  of  Ziou,  and  of  inducing  more  exiles  to  take  part 
in  the  great  work  of  national  regeneration  devolving  upon  that  community.  Not 
a  word  is  said,  in  cc.  49-55,  of  the  great  events  which  so  much  excite  the 
author  of  cc.  40-48,   and  the  great  argument  from  the  fulfilment  of  the  former 

30  prophecies  is  ab.sent.  The  programme  now  before  us  is  a  new  one.  The  popu- 
lation of  Zion  is  .scanty ;  a  large  expansion  is  promised.  The  world  despises 
and  outrages  Zion  ;  a  glorious  change  is  predicted.  The  return  of  the  Exiles  is 
indeed  referred  to,  as  in  cc.  40-48,  but  there  is  a  noteworthy  difference  in  the 
description:   48,20  .says:    Flee  ye  from    Chaldea  ;    52,12,    on   tlie   other  hand, 

35  calls  for  a  lei.surely  and  dignified  departure.  But  the  same  drawback  of  uncon- 
nectedness  attaches  to  these  chapters  (49-55)  and  to  the  preceding  ones 
(40-481,  and  the  writer  has  very  litlle  grasp  of  concrete  facts.  One  of  the 
most  remarkable  evidences  of  this  is  the  phrase  (used  of  the  community  of 
Zion)   the  people  in   7vhose  heart  is  my  teaching  (51,7)  —  a   most   inappropriate 

40  description  for  the  people  described  by  Haggai  and  Zechariah  (520  n.  c).  Not 
less  inapplicable  to  the  Jews  of  Judea  is  the  beautiful  rhetoric  of  55 ,  i  .  2,  with 
its  appeal.   Why  should  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is  not  bread.' 

P.  196,  1.  39:  The  passages  printed  in  light  purple  (61,  1-4^;  62,1.6.7) 
are   imitations   of  the   Songs   on   the   Servant  as   well   as   of  the   Second    Isaiah. 

45  The  proiihetic  writer  gives  vividness  to  his  prophecy  by  introducing  the  Servant 
(who  represents,  according  to  him,  the  company  of  prophets,  of  whom  he  him- 
self is  one)  soliloquizing  on  his  mission  and  ini|iortuning  Jii\ii  to  fulfil  His 
promise. 


— 9-s«#6SSs-  (Uoke  on  '^eaia^  -sasTga^-s— 


£^on-tgcnJia 


I'.  27,  1.  32:        found  =Vvj  for  a  foundation 

!'•  35.  1-  3  :  '^^'lio  smites  'with  the  rod  refers  to  Assnr.  and  had  tlierefore  bt-tter 

be    transposed,  thus :    Assur,   who    smites   ivitii    tlie    rod,   -will   he 
terror-stricken  at  the  voice  of  Jhvii.  5 

P.  40,  1.  21  ff.  :  The  Lord  before  Jhvh  Sabaoth  might  have  been  relegated  to 
the  foot  of  the  page,  and  v.  iS*"  had  better  be  transposed  so  as 
to  follow  immediately  after  is^* :  Thus  says  JllVH  Sabaoth:  Co 
ill  to  this  prefect  that  hews  out  his  sepulchre  on  high,  cutting 
himself  out  in  the  rock  a  habitation,  and  say  &c.  10 

P.  79,  1.  34:  I'~or  'Together  -will  they  perish ■  read  'Because  of-  hint  -will  they 
'be  confounded' 

P.  82,  1.  I  :  After   Therefore  insert :   shall  come   upon   thee  a   trouble  ||  -which 

thou  art  unskilled  'to  charm  away-;  And  a  •demon  of>   &c. 

P.  86,  1.  10:        Insert  after  I  have  graven  thee:   , 'Zion>  15 

1.  25 :         Add   as   gloss   to   bereaved    and    unfruitful,    at    the    foot    of    the 
page:   49,21"  a  captive  and  an  outcast 

P.  102,  1.  10 :       Omit  '■  in  1.  10  and  insert  it  in  1.  6  after  Jh\'H  {days 

P.  113,  1.  19;       an   infant  of  a  few  days,    i.  e.,   an   infant  that  li-ves   but  a  few 

1.  30:       For  or  bring  forth  'Children*  to  see  them  perish  read  nor   loeary  20 
themselves'  for  'an  end  of  terror 

P.  117,  !1.  1.2;  Read:   For  drenched  'already  '-with    His    -wrath'. 
Yea,  'drunken'  is  'jHi'/rs'  szcord  in  heaven. 

Typographical  considerations  have   made  it  impossible  in  some  cases  (e.  g. 
pp.  24.64  or  23,  1.  30;    84,   1.  33   &c. )   to    indicate   fresh  stanzas   or  sections   by  25 
means  of  blank  lines.     Otherwise  blank  lines  might  have  been  left  after  the  fol- 
lowing   lines:    pp.  2,  1.   10 ;    3,15.25;    14,26.33;    15,2;    17,11;    23,30;    24, 

8,  14.19;  36,25.31  .37;  38,  17;  64,  iS.  23;  65,  21  ;  77,  28;  78  ,  5  .  1  I  ;  79,  18.27; 
84,22.29.33;  85,  4;  86,18.23;  88,32;  89,2.9.16.24.32;  100,14.24.29; 
101,2.8.16.22.27;     108,32;     109,4.12.18.33;     112,21.31;     114,23;     121,29;   30 

122,4.10;    also    150,48;    165,55;    176,11;    177,12;    182,283.12'';    189,16; 

195.21- 

On  the  other  hand,  there  should  be  no  blank  lines  in  p.  55,  1.  18;  101,20, 
nor  after   1.  29;    nor  after  113,1.  9;   195,  1.  20. 

Nor  has  it  been  feasible,  to  make  the  critical  marks  {«»  "  &c.)  correspond  exactly 
in  all  cases  to  the  edition  of  the  Hebrew  text.  As  these  details,  however,  are  of  no 
interest  to  the  general  reader,  the  Hebrew  scholars  may  be  referred  to  the  list 
appended  to  the  Critical  Notes  on  the  edition  of  the  Hebrew  te.xt  of  the  Book. 


'  QXoUe  on  3bo>o9 


&i&t  of  Jffuetrafione 


(pfatce. 

Pool    of  Siloam   (Copyright  by  U.  Ap|)leton  &  Co.  in   tlie  Unitc-d 
States  of  America) facing   p.  12 

The  engraving  may  help  to  illustrate  the  Prophet's  contrast  between 
the  gently  flowing  waters  of  Shiloah  (the  Siloani  of  the  New  Testament) 
and  the  devastating  overflow  of  the  mighty  Assyrian  river.  From  the 
so-called  Virgin's  Fountain  water  was  tonveyed  by  a  conduit  as  early  at 
any  rate  as  the  time  of  Ahaz  (736-728  B.  c.)  to  this  famous  Pool,  which  was 
of  such  vital  importance  to  the  citizens  of  Jerusalem.  Its  remains  of 
ancient  buildings  are  still  visible  both  in  and  beside  the  pool,  and  it  is 
said  that  the  mulberry-tree  represented  in  our  illustration  marks  the  spot 
where  Isaiah,  according  to  the  legend,  was,  by  order  of  King  Manasseh 
(69S-643  B.  c),  sawn  asunder  within  a  cedar-tree. 

Damascus  (Copyright   by  I).   Ajipleton   &  Co.   in    the  United  States 
of  America) facing   p.  14 

Our  engraving  represents  Damascus  of  to-day,  which  is  also  the  city 
familiar  to  us  from  the  New  Testament  and  from  the  enthusiastic  descrip- 
tions of  travelers.  From  the  fact,  however,  that  no  remains  earlier  than 
the  Greek  period  have  been  found  bene,ath  the  walls  of  the  city,  we  may 
probably  infer  that  the  site  of  the  more  ancient  Damascus  was  elsewhere, 
and  that  it  is  marked  by  one  of  the  U/s  or  mounds  on  the  plain  outside 
(,/.  p.  15,  I.  13). 

"Oak   of  Abraham"   near    Hebron   (Copyright  by  I).  Ap|)leton 
&  Co.  in  the  United  States  of  America) facing   p.  16 

The  oak  which  is  shown  in  the  illustration  is  a  good  specimen  of  a 
sacred  tree.  Its  traditional  name  does  not  concern  us  here.  It  was  cer- 
tainly revered  as  far  back  as  the  sixteenth  century  A.  D.  The  four  huge 
branches  form  .a  majestic  crown  {tj'.  p.  23,  1.  31);  a  fifth  was  broken  off 
some  time  ago  by  a  storm. 

Tyre    (Copyriglit    by    D.  Appleton    &    Co.  in    the   United   States   of 
America) facing   p.  18 

Our  engraving  gives  us  modern  Tyre,  which  lies  at  the  NW.  corner 
of  what  was  anciently  an  island,  but  since  Ale.vander's  time  (332  B.  c.) 
has  been  joined  to  the  mainland. 

Sennacherib   reviewing   the   Booty   o  f  L  a  c  h  i  s  h  .     .     facing   p.  4S 

The  original  from  which  our  engraving  is  taken  is  in  the  Assyrian 
Basement  Room  of  the  British  Museum.  It  represents  Sennacherib  seated 
on  his  throne  before  the  city  of  Lachish  (701  li.  c).  The  inscription  on 
the  bas-relief  reads:  Sciuiaclit>il>.  ki)ix'  0/ ilu-  world,  ki?i«:  0/  Assyria,  sal 
on  a  Ihroue,  and  rcz'ifict'd  Ihe  booly  0/  the  cily  of  Lachish. 

Th  e   S  t  eps   o  f  A  h  a  z facing  ji.  52 

The  late  Mr.  J.  \V.  Bosanquet,  F.R.A.S.,  is  the  ingenious  deviser 
of  the  illustration.  He  was  of  opinion  that  the  siege  of  Jerusalem 
(701  B.  c.)  and  the  illness  of  Hezekiah  ('714'  b.  c.)  both  took  place  in  689 
B.  c,  the  year  (as  George  Smith  thought)  of  a  second  expedition  of 
Sennacherib  into  Palestine,  and  that  the  sii^n  witnessed  by  Hezekiah  on 
the  Slt'ps  of  Ahaz  was  the  movement  of  the  shadow  during  the  solar 
eclipse    of  Jan.  11,    689    B.C.       The    illustration    (see     Transaclioiis    of  Ihe 


— «*t#KS!f- (Jlotce  on  38aia? -^KMiia** —  213 

Society  of  Biblical  A>-clurology,  3.37)  was  originally  designed  in  the 
interest  of  this  theory.  It  is  described  as  the  Gnomon  of  the  Dial  or 
Stcps  of  Alia:  leading  to  the  Upper  Chamber  \  it  has,  however,  no  archeo- 
logical  significance,  but  merely  serves  to  record  a  bold  attempt  to  solve  an 
insoluble  problem. 

7.  Stone   of  Mesha facing    p.  56 

The  illustration  presents  the  famous  Moabite  Stone,  as  it  now  exists 
in  the  Louvre.  The  stone  (which  Dr.  Klein,  a  German  missionary,  dis- 
covered at  Dcbaii  in  the  summer  of  1S69)  is  of  black  basalt,  rounded  at 
the  top.  When  perfect,  it  was  nearly  four  feet  high  and  two  feet  wide. 
Across  it  ran  an  inscription  of  34  lines,  which  is  of  as  much  value  for 
the  history  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet  as  for  its  historical  contents.  See 
Driver,  Notes  on  the  Hebrew  Text  of  the  Books  of  Samuel,  Introduc- 
tion, pp.  Ixxxv-xciv. 

8.  Babylonian   Procession   of  Images facing    p.  78 

9.  Memphis   from   the   Village   of  He! wan facing    p.  98 

The  name  of  Memphis  suggests  to  the  modern  traveler  the  thought 
of  the  grand  Necropolis  and  of  the  Mausoleum  of  the  sacred  bulls  rather 
than  of  monuments  of  the  city  founded  by  Menes  (about  '3000'  b.  c.)  and 
sacked  by  Artaxerxes  Ochus  (359-338  B.C.).  The  comparative  bareness 
of  the  site  of  Memphis  may  illustrate  to  some  extent  the  gloomy  anticipa- 
tions of  the  Prophet. 

3ffu6<ra(tonei  in  ti)t  (Itotee. 

10.  Osiris  and  Isis p.  '37 

11.  Assyrian  Standard  (From  Rawlinson,  The  Five  Great  Monarchies 

of  the  Ancient  World.     By  permission  of  John  Murray,  London).       11.  138 

12.  Black  Granite  Serpent p.  '39 

13.  Egyptian    Scribe     (From    Wilkinson,    ]\fanners    and    Customs    of 

Ancient  Egypt.     By  permission  of  John  Murray,   London)     ...       p.  142 

14.  Siloam  Inscription  (From  Gesenius-Kautzsch,  Hebrdische  Grani- 

matik,   Leipzig,   F.  C.  W.  Vogel) p.  143 

15.  Winged  Solar  Disk  on  Egyptian  Wall-sculptures p.  143 

16.  Cyprian  Woman  with   "Garden  of  Adonis" p.  146 

17.  Terebinth  (Copyright   by   D.  Appleton  &  Co.  in   the  United  States 

of  America) ]>.  147 

iS.     Sargon  II p.  152 

19.  Fight  between  Merodach  and  the  Dragon  (Sec  p.  1^6,  t.  2S)    .     .     .  p.  157 

20.  Oriental  Key p.  160 

21.  Merchant  carrying  his  Keys  (See  p.  IS9,  1.51) p.  160 

22.  Egyptian  Canoe   (From  Wilkinson) p.  161 

23.  Temporary  Shelter  for  Field-watchmen   (See  p.  161,  I.  44)    ....  p.  162 

24.  Egyptian  Cranes p.  167 

25.  Ruins  of  Kir-Moab  (Sec  p.  16S,  l.j^) p.  169 

26.  Egyptian  Grape-gleaning  (See  p.  iji,  l.j) ]i.  170 

27.  Egyptian  Wine-press   (From  Wilkinson).     See  p. /yi,  1.6.     .     .     .  p.  170 

28.  Demon  of  Southwest  Wind P-  172 

■29.     Train  of  Asses  and  Camels p.  172 

30.  Shrine  of  the  Sun-god  at  Sippara ]).  180 

31.  Nebo  (See  p.  iSi,  1. 51) p.  182 

32.  Babylonian  Signs  of  the  Zodiac  (See  p.  1S2,  1. 37) P- 183 

33-  Egyptian  Canebrake p.  188 

34.  Sacred  Symbols p.  192 

35.  Williams  Cylinder p.  206 

36.  Flat   Impression  of  Williams  Cylinder  with   Flight  of  Dragon      .     .  p.  206 

37.  Pen  and  Ink  Drawing  from  Williams  Cylinder p.  206 


214 


—"^e^t&f  Qtoko  on  36inii^  -«fS9^M-< 


3nbe;c 


TO    CHAPTERS    AND    VERSKS    OF    THE    AUTHORIZED    VERSION 
WITH    CORRESPONDING    PAGES    AND    LINES   OF    PRESENT   TRANSLATION 


cc. 

vv. 

pp.            NOTES;  PP. 

cc.      vv. 

pp.                  NOTES  :    pp. 

I 

I -28   .    .    .42-44    ■ 

161  -  163 

25,    9-11    .    .      128 

20S,  1.  14 

29-31 

"7 

147 

12 

126,1.36  . 

207,  1.  49 

2 

I 

I 

132 

26  ,      I  -  19 

125-127. 

207 .  208 

2-4 

iS 

147 •  14S 

20  .  21 

124 

5-22 

1.2 

132.133 

27,      I 

124 

205 . 206 

3 

1-26 

3.4      • 

133-134 

2-5 

128 

208 

4 

1-6 

4 

134.135 

6-II 

125 

206 .  207 

5 

1-7 

5 

135 

12.13 

124. 125  . 

S-25 

6.7       . 

135.136 

28,    1-6 

-  17 

147 

26-30 

9 

13« 

7-29 

27-29  . 

153- 154 

6 

1-13 

9.  10    . 

.38-140 

29,    1-24 

29-31  • 

'54-155 

7 

1-25 

10-12    . 

140-  142 

30,    1-33 

31-35  ■ 

155-157 

8 

I  -22 

12-14    ■ 

142-144 

31.    1-9 

35  ■  36     - 

157-158 

9 

1-7 

14.15     ■ 

144.145 

32  ,    1-20 

36 -38    - 

158 

8-21 

7.8      . 

136.137 

33-    1-24 

38-40    - 

158.159 

10 

1-4 

8.9      . 

137.138 

34.    1-17 

T16-  iiS  . 

201 

5-15 

21 . 22     . 

149 

35.   i-io 

118  .  1 19  . 

202 

16-34 

22.23    • 

150 

36,    1-22 

■  47.48  . 

164 . 165 

11 

I -16 

24.25     . 

i5'J-i52 

37.    1-9'' 

49 

165 

12 

1-6 

25 .  26     . 

152 

9';-2i 

49-50     • 

166 

13 

I  -22 

60-62    . 

173-174 

22-32 

51 

166,  I.  14 

14. 

1-23 
24-27 

62-64    . 
22 

174 

33-36 
37-38 

50 
49 

166, 1.  10 
165,  1.  54 

28-32 

20 

149 

38,    1-20 

52-53     - 

166.  167 

15, 

1-9 

55  ■  56     . 

168-  170 

21 .  22 

52,  I-31  - 

i6 

1-14 

56.57     . 

170.  171 

39.    i-S 

54 

167 

17 

I -14 

15.16     . 

145.146 

i8 

1-7 

41.42     . 

160. 161 

40-55: 

64-96   , 

175-187 

19 

1-25 

97-99    ■ 

1S8-  190 

40.    1-5 

64 

175 

20 

1-6 

26 

152.153 

6-8 

65 

21 

I  -  10 

59 .  60     . 

171 .172 

9-11 

64 

175 

II  -17 

57. 5S     . 

171 

12-  19 

65 

'75 

22 

I -14 

45.46     . 

163 .  164 

20-31 

66 . 67     . 

175-176 

15-25 

40.41     . 

159.  160 

41.    1-5 

67 

176 

23 

1-18 

18-20    . 

148 

6.7 

66 

24 

1-23 

122-124  • 

203  -  205 

8-29 

67-69   . 

176.177 

25 

1-5 

127 

208 

42.    1-25 

70-72    . 

177-178 

6-8 

124 

205 

43.    1-28 

72-74   ■ 

178. 1-9 

QtofcB  on  36ata5  ^B3#sM-s^ 


215 


cc. 

vv. 

pp.           NOTES  :    PP. 

cc.     vv. 

PP.            NOTES:    PP. 

44. 

-2.8   .    . 

74-77    . 

.    179.180 

58.  I-I4  • 

102-  104  . 

193-194 

45. 

-25   ■    ■ 

77-79   • 

.    1.80.  181 

59,      I-2I     . 

104-  106  . 

194.195 

46. 

-13   ■    ■ 

80 .  81     . 

.    181. 1S2 

60  ,      1-22     . 

106-108  . 

195.196 

47. 

-15   ■    ■ 

81.82     . 

.    182 

61  ,      I -9 

108  .  109  . 

196.197 

48 . 

-22   .    . 

82-84    ■ 

.    182 

10 

iio,  I.  31 

'97.1.34 

49. 

-26   .    . 

84-87    . 

.    183. 1S4 

II 

109, 1. 23 

50. 

-  II    .    . 

87 . 88     . 

.    184 

62  ,     I  -  12    . 

109 .  IIO  . 

197 

SI. 

-23   ■    ■ 

88-91    . 

.    184.185 

63,     16       . 

Ill 

197.198 

52. 

-15   •    • 

91.92    . 

.    185.186 

7-19    . 

120.  121    . 

202  .  203 

S3- 

-  12   .    . 

92.93    • 

.    186.187 

64  ,      I  -  12     . 

121 . 122    . 

203 

54. 

-17   .    . 

94-95    • 

.    1S7 

65  .      1-25     . 

III-II3. 

198. 199 

55. 

-13   •    • 

95-96    . 

.    187 

66,    1-5     . 

6-16   . 

114 
114.115    . 

199 

200,  1.16 

56. 

-  12    .    . 

99 .  100  . 

.    190. 191 

I7-l8a. 

114 

200,  1.  I 

57. 

-21    .    . 

100-  102  . 

-    191 -193 

l8b-24    . 

115  .  I  16  . 

200  .  201 

W^mm 


Biet  of  ^onfrt6ufor0. 


Genesis:  C.  J.   Ball  (London  i. 

Exodus:   Herbert  E.  Ryle  (Cambridge). 

Leviticus:    S.    R.  Driver  and   H.  A.   White  (Oxford). 

Numbers:  J.  A.    Paterson   (Edinburgh). 
5  Deuteronomy:   Geo.   A.   Smith  (Glasgow). 

Joshua:   W.  H.   Bennett  (London). 

Judges:   George  F.  Moore  (Andover). 

Samuel:    K.   Budde  (Strassburg). 

Kings:    B.   Stade   (Giessen)   and   F.  Schually    (Strassburg). 
lo  Isaiah:   T.  K.  Cheyne   (Oxford). 

Jeremiah:   C.   H.  Cornill   (Konigsberg). 

Ezekiel :   C.  H.  Toy   (Cambridge,   Mass.). 

Hosea:   A.  Socin  (Leipzig). 

Joel:   Francis  Brown  (New  York). 
15  Amos;  John  Taylor  (Winchcombe). 

Obadiah :    Andrew   Harper  (Melbourne). 

Jonah:    Friedrich   Delitzsch   (Breslau). 

Micah  :  J.  F.  McCurdy  (Toronto). 

Nahum  :    Alfred  Jeremias  (Leipzig). 
20  Habakkuk:    \V.   H.  Ward   (NewYork). 

Zephaniah  :    E.   L.   Curtis   (New   Haven). 

Haggai :    G.   A.  Cooke  (Oxford). 

Zechariah  :   W.   R.   Harper  (Chicago). 

Malachi :    C.  G.  Montefiore  and  L  Abrahams  (London). 
25  Psalms:  J.  Wellhausen  (Gottingen). 

Proverbs:    A.  Miiller"  and  E.  Kautzsch  (Halle). 

Job:   C.  Siegfried  (Jena). 

Song  of  Songs:    Russell    Martineau  (London). 

Ruth:   C.  A.   Briggs  (New  York). 
30  Lamentations:    Morris  Jastrow,  Jr.   (Philadelphia).'* 

Ecclesiastes :    Paul   Haupt   (Baltimore). 

Esther:  T.  K.  Abbott  (Dublin). 

Daniel:   A.  Kamphausen   (Bonn). 

Ezra-Nehemiah  :    H.  Guthe  (Leipzig). 
35  Chronicles:    R.  Kiltel  (Breslau). 


"Died  September  I2ih  1892. 

* 
"Professor  A.  Kuenen  who  had  agreed  to  do  the  Book  died   December  lo't"  iSgi 


DATE  DUE 

wm^ 

r* 

CAVLORO 

PmNTCDINU   S.A 

-  -2- 


BS195.2.H37V.10 

The  sacred  books  of  the  Old  and  New 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


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